Naruto Online
by Henshi the Desert Ninja
Summary: Naruto and the students of Konoha High get a hold of a new virtual reality game. Sword Art Online. After the Launch of the game, They are trapped along with10,000 other players in this virtual world. To beat the game, the players must clear all 100 floors, beating each floor boss. NarutoxSAO crossover.
1. Chapter 1

Floor 1: A Grim Introduction

A/N: I do not own Naruto or Sword Art Online. Had my mind on combining these two anime for a while now and decided to stop thinking about it and just write. I will try my best to update regularly. Please leave reviews and comments, I would like to know what I can to do better.

The television flickered to life. It began moving swiftly through channels, one by one, finally stopping on the "Game Network". The volume bar on the screen rose a couple of notches when a blonde woman, sitting next to a man in a white lab coat appeared on the screen.

"We are here with the Creator and Chief Producer Kayaba Akihiko. He has created a new VRMMO game that has completely sold out within the first three hours of its launch. Mr. Akihiko about this new VRMMO game, Sword Art Online, what do you have to say for yourself and your company?" The woman spoke, holding the microphone towards the man.

The man smiled and sat straight up, clearing his voice to answer the question. He adjusted his glasses before speaking.

"My company and I are very proud of our accomplishment. We are very happy to hear that the public is interested about our game, and are looking forward to playing it" He smiled again as he finished his statement.

"I bet. So when are the game servers set to launch ?" The reporter asked inquisitively.

"What time is it?" Kayaba asked, looking down at his watch on his left wrist. "In the next 15 minutes actually. I think the players will be very excited for the open ceremonies of the-

The television cut to a black screen. The blonde spiky-haired boy could not contain his excitement any longer. He and his friends stood in line for eight hours, waiting to buy a copy of the new game. He smirked and looked at his watch, only ten minutes remained until the official launch.

He ran to his room, shutting the door behind him. He picked up his Nerve-Gear and smiled, his blue eyes reflecting in the device's visor. His phone in his left pocket vibrated, signaling he had a text message. It was group text from Sakura and Sasuke, both stating, they were about to log in. The boy then laid upon his futon, and placed the device upon his head.

He allowed the device to run its diagnostics check and when it gave him the green light, he smirked and excitedly said "Link Start!"

* * *

><p>Naruto grinned boldly as his avatar materialized into the virtual world. His avatar dressed in an orange long-sleeved shirt, black pants, finger-less gloves and a brown chest protector, the signature piece of all Sword Art Online beginner players. Naruto watched as all around him players began to materialize into the world. He felt a light tap on his shoulder, turning around he saw his friends standing behind him, all dressed with similar clothes.<p>

"Naruto, what took you?" asked Kiba, running a hand through his hair, then placing that same hand on the sword on his waist. "We've already went and bought our swords."

Naruto laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head. "Yeah, I know. Got caught up watching the press conference."

Naruto looked around at his friends but noticed a couple were missing. "Where is everyone?"

Shikamaru spoke up from his place, siting Indian-style on the ground. "Neji, Sasuke, went on to the fields to get some EXP before all these beginners start figuring out how to kill monsters. As we all know, Ino, Ten-Ten and Sakura followed."

"Yeah It's a good thing we all got access to the Beta Test through Sakura's Father, or we'd all be looking like them." Kiba stated, nudging is head over to the "newbies" spending all of their money at stalls.

Naruto smirked and scrolled through his inventory, clicking on one of his swords to add it to his avatar. He looked back up and smiled, noticing a small, petite player next to Kiba.

"Ohayo Naruto…" Hinata, shyly smiled and pushed some hair behind her ear. Her avatar wore an all-white top and pants, with grey fingerless gloves, and a black chest protector.

"Hey there, Hinata. I thought you would be with Neji." Naruto was slightly glad that she was still here. He was looking forward to playing the game with her, as he was with all his friends.

"He went on without me and besides…" Hinata trailed off and looked at the ground.

"She wanted to learn some skills from you." Kiba spoke up, teasing her by ruffling her hair. Hinata immediately blushed, the red tint could be seen on her avatar.

Naruto laughed and was about to respond when flashes of light appeared all around them as players returned to the Central Town Square. He watched as a barrier materialize, keeping everyone inside. Sasuke, Neji, Ten-Ten, Ino, and Sakura appeared next to them in a flash of light.

"What the hell is going on? I was just fighting a wild boar." Neji exclaimed, sheathing his sword.

The sky began to turn read as a large red cloaked figure appeared in the sky. "Hello players, and welcome to my world. I am Kayaba Akihiko, and I am now the sole person that controls this world. By now, some of you have noticed there is not a log out button. This is not a defect, I repeat, this is not a defect. This is but a feature of the game."

Naruto watched around the plaza as players checked their HUD screens, looking for the log out tab. He checked his own and noticed what Kayaba was saying was true.

"What the fuck do you mean we cannot log out?" Kiba screamed at the cloaked figure.

"To log out and safely return to you must defeat all 100 floors of the game. Removing the NerveGear will send microwave signals and fry your brain, thus killing you. As well as if you die in the game, you die in life. People have ignored that warning, as a result, 200 players have already died." Screens began to pop-up, showing news reports and live feeds from news stations. "Good luck." The figure and the barrier both disappeared and the sky returned to normal.

Everyone stood frozen in their place. The eerie silence, broken by a young girls scream for help. The whole crowd began to riot, yelling and screaming at the sky. Naruto looked down at the ground, unsure of what to do. He was then pulled away by Shikamaru into a side alley, away from the crowd.

"Okay, I'm officially freaked out," Sakura, held herself tightly. Ino began to cry next to her. "What now?"

"We have to survive, all of us. That's the only way. Defeat these 100 floors and get back to reality." Shikamaru stated, unsure if that was possible.

Naruto felt his whole world crashing down on him. One slip up, one mistake could mean everything. He would never see his parents again, never live the life he wanted to. He began to shiver uncontrollably until he felt a hand close over his fists. It was Hinata, trying to comfort him.

"Shikamaru is right." Sasuke spoke up. "It's the only way. I'm moving on ahead. We all know as beta-testers the fields around this area will soon be cleaned out. We have to move on."

"But we cant leave the new people in this town, they'll die Sasuke!" Shikamaru looked out into the town square where players began to realize that they might not make it home alive. "Someone needs to help them."

"Well you can stay. It wont be me. To be strong in this world means raising your stats, getting the best weapons, and defeating stronger opponents." Sasuke, turned away from the group. "Until we meet again, try to stay alive until then." He then took off towards the next town. Kiba and Sasukra nodded to the group and decided to follow Sasuke.

Shikamaru sighed and looked to the rest of the group. "Someone needs to stay and keep the peace here. I guess that person will be me."

"I'll stay here with Shikamaru," Ino finally drying her tears, spoke with a raspy voice, "Besides, no one has seen Choji, Lee, and Shino yet. We have to continue to look for them as well. To make sure they didn't…." she trailed off not wanting to visualize that scenario.

"Well, I cant stand here and do nothing. I need to defeat this game and get back. So im going on." Naruto stood up straight and smiled. "You guys be safe."

As he turned around to head towards the next town, Hinata strengthened her grip on his hand. "I'm going with you. No need for you to do this alone. And two heads is better than one."

"Three heads." Neji spoke from his place near the wall.

Naruto smiled and nodded. Though he was grateful for them help, he didn't want to see any of his friends die. But, he figured his chances for surviving would be better if he had a party. He shook hands with Shikamaru, saying he will see them soon. And the three of them took off down the road, after Sasuke's group.

This is our new world. This death game. We must survive, at all costs.


	2. Chapter 2

Floor 2: Boar-ed To Death

_13:00 P.M. 2nd Floor City: Urbus_

Two weeks have passed since the start of the Death Game. New players have gotten accustomed to the controls, as well players cleared the first boss. The players searching for the next boss room decided to have a meeting in the town square of Urbus, to discuss the ever growing problem. Naruto, Hinata, and Neji sat next to a group of male players who were bragging about their recent stat updates.

A player with blue spiked hair, white top and blue pants, along with the signature chest plate stood up before the crowd. Naruto noticed above his health bar, that his name was Baki. "Alright, we have gathered here today because a hunting squad has found the entrance to the boss room." Gasps filled the room. "We will be forming parties and any EXP or items collected will be owned by the party, fair enough?" The players nodded in agreement.

Naruto watched as the other players began to form their own parties, some with people they were already with, others with complete strangers. Two male players, both dressed in silver armor approached Hinata.

"Hey there. We are looking for a third party member," The male with black long hair, smirked. "Preferably a beautiful female. Interested?"

"I um…," Hinata froze, obviously intimidated by the man's approach. Hinata noticed the name above his HP bar read Roku. "I already have a party...sorry Mr. Roku."

"Oh come on now, you with these two?" Roku pointed over to Neji and Naruto. "They both look like they might shit their pants when the see the boss. You'll be better off with me babe." He placed his arm around her shoulder. "So how about it?"

Before Hinata got a chance to respond, she saw the blade of Neji's katana, resting against the base of the man's neck. Hinata smiled gently at Neji as the player let go of her. She backed away from the scene and stood next to Naruto.

"Now hang on people!"Baki stood between the two players. "We aren't here to kill off each other, we are here to defeat this game!"

Neji smirked and sheathed his sword, walking away from the situation. "Tell him to keep his mouth shut, and we won't have an issue."

Roku cursed under his breath at Neji and walked away back to his seat. Neji took his place next to Hinata and sighed. Hinata, placed a hand on his shoulder, smiling gently at him.

Baki opened a book, containing some information he received from an information broker. "The boss' name is the Bullbous Bow. A gigantic, four-meter-tall cattle monster with four horns close to the ground, sturdy forelegs and black brown skin. The bull has a simple attack pattern of rush, turn, rush repeatedly. The rush attack is reminiscent of a battleship's heavy ramming when it lunges forward and, if not properly defended against, the rush attack can send the bull's victims flying, with considerable mental impact." The crowd tensed up, all knowing the consequence of their HP dropping to "zero".

"Alright, we leave tomorrow at 10:00 A.M., prepare yourselves and be ready! Meeting adjourned!" Baki ordered.

The next morning about fifteen players met at the town's edge. They all set out, preparing their minds for the battle ahead. Each party talking strategies and offensive tactics. The group reached the ends of the fields, where a large wooden door stood. Naruto immediately began to laugh.

"So, you mean to tell me, no one saw this. Wow, your scouting team must really suck!" Naruto held his sides, trying to hold himself together.

Baki and his party all glared angrily at Naruto, shutting him up immediately. Hinata giggled quietly next to me, and Neji smirked. Naruto glared at his two party members.

"Alright, let's do this!" Baki shouted as he pushed the door open, entering the doorway. The door lead to an open field, with rocks scattered around the area. In the middle of the field stood the boss. Letting out a raging roar, the boss charged toward the players.

"Attack!" Baki roared, unsheathing his sword. His sword began to glow green as he held it above his head, swinging it down upon the bull. The bull's horn collides with Baki, sending him and a couple other players flying. "Switch!"

Players with shields, guarded against another attack. Other player began to slash away at the monsters life points. The bull jumped away from the players and let out another roar. About ten small wild boar monsters appeared, and began attacking the players.

Hinata found herself fighting two boars at the same time. While defending against one, she was attacked from the other side. Her HP level slowly dropped, as she hit the ground.

"Hinata!" Naruto yelled as he destroyed of the wild boars, guarding her from the other, sending it flying with a roundhouse kick to the side.

"Thanks Naruto," she got up slowly and scrolled through her inventory to find an HP vial. Before she got a chance to drink it, the boss began charging towards them. Neji appeared between them and clashed his sword with one of the bull's horns. The bull bucked and sent Neji into the air.

"Neji!" Hinata watched as her cousin was sent into the air. The bull awaiting to impale him as Neji began to fall to back to the ground.

Neji began to twist his body swiftly in a circular fashion, increasing his speed. He clashed his sword against the horn, cutting the horn in half to dodge the attack, landing against the ground roughly. His HP falling below half.

Baki rushed past Naruto, charging after the boss. Baki smirked at Naruto as he passed them. Naruto both knew what he was going for, the Last Attack Bonus. As Baki closed in, the bull turned around and charged at Baki with one of his good horns. Baki attempted to block the attack, but it broke through his sword, impaling him. Baki screamed in pain as his body was violently thrown to the ground, the bull stomping on him. His avatar, disappeared into fragments of data.

Naruto growled in rage at the boss, charging at the Boss. The bull turned his direction and charged toward him. Naruto tightened his grip on his sword as he went in for the final attack. That's when it happened. His avatar, disappeared, reappearing above the bull. He swung his sword down, cutting the Bullbous Bull in half, the boss monster, breaking into fragments like glass. A large "Congratulations" banner appeared above his head. Everyone cheered, as they completed the boss level, gaining access to the third floor.

"What the hell?" Naruto looked down at his avatar. It was glowing, signifying he had rose to another level.

"What did you do?" Yelled another member of the group. "Your avatar disappeared and reappeared in another place!"

Naruto looked at the crown, unsure of how to answer their questions. He continued to look down at his body. Maybe something was wrong with him?

"What was that skill you used to cut off the bull's horn?" the player was pointing to Neji this time.

"What are you guys!" yelled the Roku.

"He's a cheater! I bet he knew he had that skill! It might be a glitch!"

"You could have saved Baki!"

"Cheater!"

Accusations were coming from all sides of him. He looked up to see Neji and Hinata defending him. Hinata placed her hands on the sides of his arms, comforting him.

"If Naruto knew about this skill, which I doubt he did. He would have used it earlier! Don't blame him for Baki's stupidity! Baki knew very well of the consequences of every battle we face in this world!" Neji glared at the crowd.

Things were getting bad. It wasn't looking good for Naruto, even though they had cleared the level and moved on in the game. Neji took out a teleportation crystal and the three of them disappeared into a blue flash.

Neji, Hinata, and Naruto stopped at a nearby inn to stay for the night. Naruto sat on his bed, watching as Neji paced the floor. Hinata sat next to Naruto, rubbing his back gently. Neji let out a sigh of frustration.

"I have no idea what happened," Naruto looked at Neji and Hinata it fear in his eyes. "What's happening to me?"

"Maybe it's a glitch?" Neji pondered his mind, pacing back and forth across the floor. "Maybe it's a special skill?" Neji stopped pacing and looked at Naruto.

"A special skill?" Hinata looked at Neji.

Neji looked through his stats. "The one I used was called Hakkeshō Kaiten or Rotation. It allows me to increase the strength of my attack by using the momentum from the rotation of my body."

Naruto scanned through his stats and noticed a new slot in his skill list. "Flying Raijin," Naruto looked at Neji and Hinata. "So what now?"

"We need to keep these skills under cover. Only using them when our life is in danger. If too many players get jealous of us, it could get bad for us." Neji looked at the ground. "As if we needed more problems."

"Maybe we need to split up?" Naruto stood from his place on the bed. "With all three of us together, we are bound to attract attention."

Hinata looked at Naruto surprised by his proposal. She felt a burning feeling build in her chest. She did not want to be separated from Naruto.

"You are probably right."Neji arose. "Figure out what's going on with us. Control it, and we can meet upon the Front Lines in a month. Give it time for the news to cool down." Neji looked at Hinata.

"Hinata, go with Neji. He will keep you safe." Naruto smiled gently at the blue haired Hyuuga. "I'll see you soon." Hinata nodded and smiled at him as she and Neji took out their teleportation crystals.

"See you soon Naruto-kun." Neji and Hinata disappeared into blue flashes of light.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Leadership Is a Drag

_A/N: Thanks to everyone that has followed/reviewed my story thus far. Depending on my school work load, I will try and post a chapter every Thursday. Thanks for the reviews, and I hope you stay with me, they will only get better._

_12:30 P.M. 6__TH__ Floor City: Lobria_

_Anbu Guild Building_

Three months have gone by since the start of the 'Death Game'. About 2,000 players have died, adding on to the 2,000 that died on launch day, for a grand total of 4,000 players. That's 4,000 less people in the world, real and virtual. Players began to make guilds, to answer to that primal instinct of human nature, the sense of belonging to unified group. With those guilds, there were also people with dark intentions. The rate of PK-ing or player killing has risen over the past month. As if the game's Bosses battles and random monsters weren't enough? A spiked-pony tail player leaned against the railing, overlooking his guild. The guild rose close to 700 members as of last month, and were still receiving applicants. His appearance changed slightly since the beginning of the game. His outfit consisted of a green vest, a white shirt, cut-off at the sleeves, his black mesh under armor could be seen down his arms. On the side of his face, rested his cat-shaped mask, the signature of all guild members. The guild called Anbu, solely existed to protect the players of the world who were too afraid to fight on the front lines from looters and Pk-ers. To act as a beacon of hope to those unable to stand alone. A small smile could be seen across his face as he watched the members of his guild laugh and joke with each other. A light voice next to him, spoke up, waking him from his thoughts. To his right stood his second-in command, Ino.

"Hey there Shika, here is the report for today. We have about 300 people that have submitted request to join the guild. You have a meeting with the leader of Nekosuna, Temari at 1:00. Shino and Lee have also sent their reports from the front line" Ino scrolled through the screen on her HUD. She dressed in similar clothes, except her vest was blue, and the mask on her face resembled a tiger.

"Have you heard from Choji?" Shino looked at her with hope in his eyes. Ino shook her head, closing up the document.

Shikamaru cursed under his breath. No matter how many scouts they send out, no information about their friend seemed to turn up. It was like he didn't exist, and Shikamaru was not ready to accept that. Clenching his fist, he sighed and staring at the floor. Ino placed her hand on his shoulder to comfort him. She was worried as well, but watching Shikamaru like this, hurt her even more. Shikamaru nodded and thanked her with a nod. Two members of the guild approached the two leaders and saluted, the right arm across the chest fist balled tightly, the left hand behind the back. Shikamaru and Ino returned the gesture.

"What do you need comrade?" Shikamaru turned to the two.

"There was a disturbance in the forest region of sector B. A hunter and his party were ambushed by a PK group. The entire group except for the hunter were taken. Apparently they left him alone to spread the word. It looks like the guild is looking for weaker players to pay a protection fee, to guard against other PK groups. But many of the players suspect it's the same guild doing the PK-ing." The girl on the right pushed some of her hair behind her ear, finishing the report.

"Alright…" Shikamaru placed the index and thumb fingers of his right hand to the bridge of his nose, contemplating on what action to take next. "Send the infiltration squad in and gather as much Intel as you can. We will deal with this soon." The girl bowed in acknowledgment, saluting as she turned to leave the room.

The male then spoke up, "Front Line players and guilds are requesting assistance with the Boss Doors on floor 9. Other guilds have mapped the dungeon on floor 8, and are awaiting to take the boss room as we speak. Captain Neji, leader of the Hyuuga Guild, send his warm regards and a donation of 5,000 col to support the guild."

Shikamaru smiled, his friend was still alive and kicking. "I'll send a personal thank you later. Any word on Sasuke's party? He hasn't been seen on the front lines since floor 3."

"No. Neither has Naruto, the 'Yellow Flash', been spotted since the Boss room on floor 2." The male scrolled through the panel, closing it up signifying that was everything he had to report. Shikamaru nodded to the player, the male copying the female player's gestures as he leaves the room.

"Ino, prepare about three of the strongest guild members, ready to depart tomorrow. I intend on helping to clear floor nine." Shikamaru looked at the digital readout of the clock under his inventory, the clock reading 12:50. "I would be a terrible leader, if I didn't show up on time."

Neji sat at his desk, scrolling through different windows on his HUD. Scanning through the information on each one, he barely noticed his cousin enter the room. She lightly cleared her throat, gaining his attention.

"Hinata?" Neji closed the screens in front of him, staring at his cousin. "Anything to report?"

"The front line party are about to advance on the 8th floor boss. No casualties have been reported thanks to the map information received from other guilds." Hinata smiled and placed a hand on her raiper, the hilt of the sword lavender liker her hair. She looked at Neji, her eyes filled hope.

"No, I have not received any Intel on Naruto's whereabouts. Nor has Shikamaru." Neji looked down at his desk. "Maybe he will show up on floor 9. Have hope Hinata, I'm sure he is still alive."

Hinata smiled and nodded. "I know he is Neji. I have faith in him." She bowed and walked out of the room. Neji watched her, knowing it was more to that girl than she was letting be known.

Hinata walked down the hallway of their small guild hall. She entered her room and sat on the bed. There was an ominous feeling she could not shake, nor did she know why she felt this way. Scrolling through her friends list she stopped on Naruto's name. She gently pressed the tip of her index finger against the name. Closing her eyes she whispered to herself, "Where are you?"

Hinata noticed a small box appeared on her screen. The box read 'Would you like to track this person?' She clicked yes and noticed a small number appeared next to his name. The number read 'Floor 6 1,500km, Naruto was somewhere on the same floor as them. She smiled as tears began to flow down her face, he was alive. She smiled and deactivated the screen, laying back on the bed. If he wanted to see them, he would have by now, there must be a reason why he is keeping himself away.

Shikamarua, Ino, and his guards reached the small café ran by the Nekosuna. After commanding the gaurds to wait outside, he entered the small pub with Ino. Scanning the room he noticed a dirty blonde player, wearing cat ears (a signature piece of all Nekosuna members) waving over to them. Shaking handswith the person as he sat down, she began to talk.

"Thanks for meeting with me Shikamaru," Temari smiled, ordering three pieces of cake. She was wearing a white kimono, decorated with cherry blossom flowers.

"So what did you call me here for?" Shikamru playfully poked his cake with the fork. He could see Ino out his peripheral, happily stuffing her face.

Temari's smile immediately was replaced with a stern and serious look on her face. Closing her eyes, letting out a short sigh, she began to speak. "One of our members has gone missing. Her log-in name is PrincessKittyKitty33. She was sent to scout the first floor to recruit members and handle business transactions with the local shops we have partnerships with. That was a week ago." Temari opened her eyes, staring at Shikamaru.

Shikamaru leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms, "Do you know of any enemies of your guild that would aim to gain from this? And, why did you wait this long?"

"No we have no clue. We were also doing our own investigation until we receive this message from the supposed kidnappers." Temari pulled up a side screen and pushed it toward Shikamaru and Ino to read.

"500,000 col? That's a hefty sum for one person." Shikamaru tapped his cake with the fork again, wondering whether he should take a bite. "Are you giving me all the information?"

Temari sighed again and smiled, "Nothing gets past you does it? I would expect nothing less from the leader of the Anbu guild." Temari pulled up another screen and sent it towards Shikamaru. "She knew the exact location of one of the four legendary swords in the game. She had been tracking it down for the last two months and finally broke the riddle. It's located somewhere on the 10th floor. My guess is that the kidnappers are holding her hostage until the Front Lines group breaks through to that floor."

Shikamaru took his index and thumb of his right hand, placing them on the bridge of his nose, massaging it. He began to think what his guild could gain from this temporary partnership. He thought about what his guild could lose, his guild members could die. He took in consideration what Nekosuna could stand to lose. Glancing at Ino, who simply gave him a nod of her head, signifying this was all his decision.

"Please, you are our only hope now. We have expended all of our resouces and our members don't have a high enough tracking skill." Temari frowned, thinking about her friend. "We are prepared to pay the ransom amount but that will put our guild in the negative. We would have to start from the beginning."

"We will help. No money required." Shikamaru stood from the table, Ino following his gesture. "I'll send my best tracking team on the job."

Extending her hand, Temari beamed with delight. Shikamaru shook it firmly and nodded. He turned away and walked out of the pub, his guards rejoining them. The group then walked to the teleportation gate and returned back to the 1st floor and their guild hall.

Upon returning to the guild, Shikamaru relinquished the guards of their duty, sending them home for the night. He sat at his desk, pulling up multiple screens, searching through the information he received from the Pk-ing incidents. He jumped out of surprise, when Ino unexpectedly began to massage his shoulders. He closed his eyes and let out a stressful sigh.

"No one said being a leader of a guild would be such a drag…" Shikamaru could feel Ino behind him chuckling to herself.

"No one told you to unify people together into a guild, to protect the powerless," Ino flicked him in the back of the head, leaving from the office. "Don't work too late, the 9th floor awaits"

Shikamaru smiled and rubbed the back of his head. He swore he lost a couple of life-points from that simple hit. Ino always knew what to say to get his mind back on track. Even in all this chaos of being stuck here in this world, she was his rock. He didn't know what he would do without her guidance. He thought about home, his parents must be furious and worried. His school work, he didn't even what to think about how much work they had to catch up on. Scrolling through his friends list he stopped on a name and stared at it.

"Where are you Choji?"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: M.I.A.

_A/N: Thanks to everyone that has followed/reviewed my story! And I was very surprised to have this many followers of the story in such a short time. To my readers, please leave a story in the review section for me to read. I would enjoy reading some of your work._

_10:30 P.M. _

_1__st__ Floor _

_City: Town of Beginnings_

Naruto materialized from the teleportation gate, stepping on to the platform. His attire had not changed since launch day except for the white coat he received from a monster drop on the 7th floor. On the coat, written in Kanji down the right side, was the word Flash. Wearing the coat gave him an agility boost of 35 points to his already 50 skill points. His sword was different as well. It was a long blade, called Nova Major. Its grip is a darker color than the rest of the blade and is completely straight. It leads up to a hilt that is exactly perpendicular to the grip. The blade was a yellow-orange, the hilt black as night. Over the past few months he could control his unique skill technique, the Flying Raijin, though not perfect yet. Naruto looked at the date on his HUD, and sighed to himself. Taking a step off the platform he began to walk through the town heading for his favorite pub, Ichiraku. Naruto walked into the pub and sat down at the bar, ignoring a couple of dirty looks from other players in the pub. He placed a col on the counter, loud enough for the bartender, a slender red-haired player, to hear.

"One drink please," Naruto smiled at the girl as she took his money and placed a bluish colored drink in its place. Naruto nodded in thanks and took a sip of the beverage. Closing his eyes, he listened to the music. The conversations of a guy being shot down by a girl. A party planning its next dungeon run. A girl crying to her friend about being dumped by her boyfriend. Two players sat beside him at the bar, ordering the same beverage he was drinking on. Both players wore similar outfits, all black with the trade mark of the Anbu guild, fox masks.

"Where the hell have you been?"

Naruto opened his eyes and smirked. Noticing the voice of one of his friends. "Training, getting stronger. Obtaining stronger and better equipment. What have you been doing these last four months?"

"Protecting the powerless." The player removed his mask, revealing black sunglasses that covered his eyes, and a scarf that covered his mouth, only showing the nose of the player. His comrade followed suit, shifting his bowl-cut bangs back into place.

"Lee," Naruto smiled and looked at the player in black glasses, "Shino, it's been a while."

"We thought you were dead, you idiot," Shino crossed his arms "You know even Sasuke and his group checks in every once in a while."

"Yeah Naruto, not cool making us worry like that. Especially Hinata-chan" Lee took a sip of his beverage.

Naruto smiled at the thought of Hinata worrying about him. He had not met back up with them since the second floor boss, even though he had promised to. He expected her to be angry, not miss him. He would have to apologize to her soon.

"So what brings you guys to the first floor?" Naruto drained the contents of his glass.

"Investigation some PK-ing claims. There have been a lot of disturbances lately. We are about to head back to the guild to report what we have found." Shino drank the rest of his drink and stood.

"You should come with, Ino and Shikamru would be happy to see you" Lee added, placing his masks back on his face.

Naruto shook his head, "Maybe later. Everyone is meeting up on floor 9 right? Supposed to be a strong boss on that level. I need to train more, apologize to them for me." Naruto disappeared into a blue light, teleporting to another floor.

"Dramatic much?" Shino nodded to Lee as they both walked out the pub, heading for the teleportation gate.

"That's Naruto for you," Lee smiled.

"Well any way, let's get back to the guild and report our findings. Shikamaru will be happy to know we have seen Naruto." Shino began to notice the decreasing number of players in the area as they approached the gate.

When the two reached the Teleportation platform, Lee noticed the town square was completely empty. A player appeared before them, emerging from the teleportation gate. The player unsheathed his sword, a silver buster sword, with a black hilt. Two more players emerged from the gate, cutting off their entrance to gate.

"What is the meaning of this?" Lee readied himself, placing his hand on the hilt of his sword.

"You have some vital information that we just can't let you leave this floor with," the player, motioning the others a wave of his hand, "Take them."

The two swordsmen charged toward Lee and Shino, clashing swords with each other. Lee blocked a barrage of attacks from the player he was fighting. The swordsmen began his barrage of attacks, slashing Lee's right arm. Parrying against his attack gave Lee a chance to strike. Lee activated a sword skill, his sword glowing green, charged and slashed at his opponent. The swords men was not able to react in time and was struck in the chest, depleting his HP by half. The swordsmen jumped back to gain some distance between them. Lee smirked and began to charge toward him, but suddenly felt his strength leave his body. He fell to the ground, dropping his sword. Glancing to his health bar he realized he was paralyzed.

"Lee!" Shino barely blocked another attack from his opponent. Shino jumped away and landed next to Lee. "Their swords…"

"Are coated with a paralyzing poison. Great deduction. Though I would expect nothing less from the Anbu's best team"

Other players began to emerge from the gate, circling Shino and Lee. Lee cursed under his breath, shamed of his carelessness. Shino knelt by Lee, keeping his sword up in defense. Shino counted the number of players around them, 14 in total. Their levels were low, but he could not defeat them all and keep Lee safe. Clutching his arm in pain, he felt his body stiffen. Looking down, he noticed a throwing needle, protruding from his arm. Falling the ground, Shino was also paralyzed.

"Take them to the dungeon," The player smiled "Guild Master Anko will be pleased to know we have captured them."

Shino and Lee, picked up by their arms and feet, were lead to the gate. Disappearing in a flash of blue light. The player smiled, disappearing in the same blue light. The town square returned to it's quiet state, as if nothing happened.

* * *

><p><em>Time: 4:00pm<em>

_Floor 7_

_Location: Wolf Plains_

A pink haired swordswoman slashed away at a wolf. The wolf charged, preparing to rip into its opponent. The swordswoman smiled and dodged the attack, bringing her weapon above her head, bringing it crashing down onto the wolf. The wolf dissipated into fragments of data, a screen popping up in its place, showing the loot amount and exp gain.

"I really wish you would stop killing wolves," Kiba stroked the head of his baby wolf familiar, Akamaru "It makes him hate you more."

"Oh he will get over it" Sakura, placed her weapon back in its holder. Her outfit consisted of a black jacket with a pink outline, a silver chest plate showing her mid drift, and a plaid black and grey checkered skirt with black combat boots. Her weapon was a double-sided axe called Ground Gorge, a black handled axe with two black blades on both sides of the handle.

Kiba, was dressed in a silver chest plate, his muscular arms showing. His black pants were baggy to improve movement. Akamaru was his tamed beast, earning him the name Alpha Wolf Kiba among the other SAO players. Kiba crossed his arms, allowing Akamaru to growl and bark at Sakura.

"Don't make me hurt that mutt" Sakura growled back.

"You want to go at it!" Kiba unsheathed his curved sword. "We can go right now princess!"

"No, we have a much larger task at hand."

Sasuke jumped from his perch in a nearby tree. His outfit was completely back, including the chest plate. He wore a long, selnder trench coat called the coat of Midnight. His sword, the Elucidator, a black sword with trims of gray and is evenly balanced and quite powerful. It has a black handle connected to a hand guard that drops down on the right side.

"We have been summoned to the Front Lines to fight the 9th floor boss. Intel also tells me Naruto and the others will be in attendance."Sasuke pulled out his teleportation crystal. "Let's go." The three of them disappeared into the blue light, heading toward the 9th floor.

* * *

><p><em>Time: 7:30pm<em>

_Floor 9_

_Location: Frieven Village Town Square_

Neji, Hinata, and two other Hyuga Guild members materialized into the town square on the 9th floor, Frieven Village. They walked toward the crowd of players that gathered to clear the dungeon and the boss of this floor. While the two subordinate stayed outside to mingle with the others, Neji and Hinat entered the tent that was at the center of the crowd. Inside the tent was a large circular table with the map layout of the 9th floor dungeon. Neji noticed Shikamaru, Kiba, and Sasuke standing around the table. Another player, Kuradeel dressed in all white armor with red accented shoulder pads, wearing a cape with a cross on it stood next to Shikamaru, discussion the plan of attack for the boss on this level, Illfang the Kobold Lord.

Hinata's eyes immediately locked onto a certain blond haired player. She could feel her face heat up, as he smiled back to her. She tried to speak but found herself only capable of making inaudible sounds. Neji placed a hand on her shoulder lightly.

"Stop being a clutz and go say hi," Neji walked to the other side of the table to join the discussion.

Naruto walked over to Hinata, and to her amazement, bowed as low as he could. She began to blush a darker red as many of the other players attention turned toward them.

"Naruto you're embarrassing me..." Hinata began to fiddle with the hilt of her sword.

"I know I'm late. We agreed to see each other in a month and it's been four. Please forgive me for making you wait!" Naruto strained to bow lower, to show his sincerity.

Hinata placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled "It's alright. I know you had a reason to."

Naruto stood up and smiled, embracing her in a tight hug. She hugged him back, enjoying the warmth. A loud cough from Kuradeel broke them away from each other.

"Are you two finished or do we need to relocate to another tent?" after earning embarrassed nods from the two players he continued. , "The boss Illfang's Boss Room is twenty meters wide by 100 meters deep. Illfang is over two meters tall, muscular, covered in blue-grey fur and has bloodthirsty, copper-red eyes. Illfang uses a large bone axe and a leather shield to attack, and has four HP bars. Behind his waist, he carries a meter and half long Nodachi weapon. Three Ruin Kobold Sentinels spawn and defend the boss from the players at the start, and with the depletion of each of Illfang's HP bars, an additional three Sentinels are spawned (a total of 12). Once its last HP bar is down to 1/3, it will toss the weapons away in favor of the Nodachi in which it can use katana skills."

"So what's our plan of attack?"Neji asked, scanning over the notes.

"We will form 5 parties between the Knights of the Blood Oath, Hyuga, Hebi, Anbu, and Nekosuna. Two parties will defend against the sentinels, keeping them away from the main group. The KOB and Hyuga will lead on the front lines, switching out with the Hebi and Anbu. Nekosuna and the other players will help defend as well." Kuradeel stared at the other leaders and nodded. "Any objections?"

When Kuradeel notice no one had any objections to the plan, he closed his map window and unsheathed his sword. "To battle we go!" a roaring battle cry could be heard from the tent.

* * *

><p><em>Time: 7:30pm<em>

_Floor 1_

_Location: Dungeon_

Shino and Lee found themselves in a candle lit room. The walls and floor were stone. Shino noticed he could move again, the paralysis had worn off. Scanning the area, he noticed the only way out of the room was the opening before them, leading down a dark hallway. Lee checked his inventory and cursed to himself.

"They took our weapons, and our teleportation crystals." Lee punched the wall out of anger.

"But, it doesn't seem they are around anymore. And the exit is open. Maybe we were just tossed aside." Shino gathered himself, standing up off the cold floor. "Let's get out of here and report back."

As soon as Lee and Shino stepped into the hallway, it immediately began to glow a bright red. A monster dropped from the ceiling, a large wingless dragon by the name of Shinron. Shinron roared at the two players and began to charge in their direction. Lee and Shino jumped back into the room, noticing the dragon stop in its tracks, staring at the room.

"We are in a safe room?" Shino looked around the room, "No wonder they put us here, we can't escape without weapons!"

"Did you see the health bars on that thing!" Lee exclaimed.

"Lee? Shino?"

The voice behind them cause Shino and Lee to turn around, both getting into defensive positions. The voice emerged from the shadows, revealing a large player. His armor was red with silver accents. His brown hair, trailed down his back. Two spiral tattoos could be seen on his cheeks.

"No way…" Lee found himself speechless

"Choji?" Shino could not believe his eyes.

Choji gave a weak smile and waved "Hey guys."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Illfang the Kobold Lord

_Authors Note: Welcome to my new readers, glad you've joined the ride. Hopefully my story continues to keep you entertained. Again, leave a story in the comments for me to read. Let us begin :)_

_10:30 A.M. _

_9__th__ Floor _

_Dungeon Entrance_

The Front Line Party, 11 players in total, reached the entrance of the 9th floor dungeon. The players each checked their load-outs, some changing their swords to lighter, faster weapons, some changing their entire gear. Shikamaru took the time to examine the map and check his potions and gear. Neji leaned against a nearby tree, calming his mind before the quest began. Sasuke sat on a boulder, Sakura taking a seat next Naruto watched as a group of male players were having a silent discussion over an important matter, because the waving of arms became more intense as the conversation went on. Some of the players began to go through "pre-game" rituals, preparing themselves to enter the dungeon. Everyone knew the price that would be paid if their HP ever his zero. Naruto noticed a figure take a seat next to him. Hinata smiled at him, Naruto returned the smile, and a small blush appeared on his face. Hinata closed her eyes and parted her lips slightly, a light tone began to emit from her.

"In the darkness," Hinata sang, her voice resonating loud enough for everyone to stop, turning toward her. "Before the dawn."

"In the swirling," a new voice picked up the next verse, "of the storm" Neji sang out, matching her tone.

"When I'm rolling with the punches and hope is gone," They both sang together, harmonizing with one another.

"Leave a light, a light on," Hinata finished, opening her eyes again.

(_song: Midnight- Coldplay_)

"Hinata that was beautiful" Naruto smiled, "What song is that?"

"A song my mother, Neji's aunt, used to sing to us whenever we had a trial to overcome, a bad day, or simply needed a boost of confidence" Hinata stood and let out a small sigh "It means no matter what happens, as long as you push through, you will see the light of the end result."

Naruto nodded, understanding what she meant. He noticed her and Neji's duet seemed to calm the nerves of some of the players. They looked determined, less afraid of the consequences, focused on the task ahead. Naruto stood and placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, gripping it as tight as he could. Kuradeel equipped his large shield, a red and white shield with a red cross on the front of it, symbolizing his guild.

"Now that we are focused, let's take this floor!"

The group of players charged into the dungeon, determined to emerge victorious on the next floor.

Shino and Lee listened to Choji's story, how he defended a group of younger players from the dark guild, Black Venom. He was knocked out, woke up in this room, weaponless. Choji spoke of a girl who was briefly with his for a while until some guild members returned for her. He said he overheard them talking about a rare weapon that only she knew the location of. Choji informed he couldn't call for help earlier because they forced him to delete all his contacts.

"Well, now we know who took her" Shino sighed and ran a hand through his hair, "Her guild asked Shikamaru for help, which is why we were sent to investigate."

"But, now we're the ones that need rescuing" Lee laughed and looked out the door at the dragon at the end of the hall. "And Scales isn't going to let us get by without a fight."

"Welcome to my world" Choji smiled.

The three of them laughed, their voices filling the hall, causing the dragon to turn and stare at the room. The three friends, even though they were stuck, were glad to at least be together.

"The Front Lines should be clearing floor 9 right now. When they are finished with that, Shikamaru will notice something is off and will come looking for us." Shino sat on the ground, leaning against the wall.

"Let's hope everything goes alright" Lee sighed and stared at the ceiling "Can we really clear 100 floors? Is that even possible?"

The group moved swiftly through the dungeon, taking the paths less littered with monsters to save health and strength for the boss fight. Naruto watched Hinata as she fought, he was mesmerized at the gracefulness of her sword skill. The Front Line group emerged through an invisible wall, and followed the path, the boss door waiting at the end. The party stopped right before the door, Kuradeel placing his shield by his feet.

"Replenish your health. Change your weapons if need be. Be ready in five" Kuradeel faced the door, staring the door down as if it was his next opponent.

"Naruto-kun?" Hinata blushed, noticing Naruto was still staring her, even though she was waving her hand in front of his face.

"Oh! Sorry Hinata, I spaced out" Naruto scratched the back of his head nervously, "Did you say something?"

Hinata's face began to redden, as if she was trying to muster all her might to say what she was about to say. But, before she got a chance to speak, Kiba entered the conversation.

"Hinata, don't worry! Ill protect you with my life" Kiba gave her a toothy smile.

Hinata sighed and smiled back, unable to tell Naruto she would protect him. She watched as Naruto smiled at them, then went through his inventory.

"Alright! Time is up" Kuradeel stood, the members of his guild standing behind him, "Let us take this Boss room! Stay vigilant ad watch for his attack patterns. I need not remind you of the cost of dying here today!"

He placed his hand on the door, giving it a hard push. The door swung open slowly, allowing the party to enter. One the last man was through, the door swung closed, disappearing into the wall. The room was a long, massive hallway. Lights from torches along the walls flickered to life as a massive figure materialized into the room. A large dog-like beast covered in fur appeared, unsheathing its weapon, the Bone Axe. Illfang growled, its red eyes glistening in the low light room. Four green health bars appeared by Illfang's head. It let out a menacing roar as three small beings, similar to the boss, just covered in armor and armed with a mace appeared. The four beast charged at the group, Illfang leaping high into the air, bringing the axe down onto the players.

"Attack!" Kuradeel, brought up his sword and shield, ready to defend against the assault.

Members from the guild Nekosuna, Naruto, Hinata, and Sakura charged and clashed with the sentinels. Naruto and Hinata worked as a team, Sakura and a male from Nekosuna teamed up, and the other male member of Nekosuna fought alongside a Knights of the Blood Oath member.

"Hinata, switch!" Naruto commanded, parrying an attack from a sentinel.

Hinata rushed past him, thrusting her rapier forward, activating a sword skill. The sword swiftly hit its target multiple times, sending it back. The sentinel recovered, swinging its mace at Hinata, Naruto bringing his sword up to defend her, blocking the attack. The other two groups followed their example, switching out with each other as the monster attacked.

Kuradeel blocked an attack from Illfang with his shield. The strength of the boss' attack sent his men flying back. Neji and Sasuke switched with Kuradeel, slashing away at his health. Illfang swung his axe vicously at the two, Kuradeel blocking the attack again with his shield. Shikamaru stood back and assessed the battle as it progressed. They were doing well, each health bar took them atleast 50 sec to clear. They were almost down to the last health bar, but he couldn't shake the feeling something was wrong. Illfang jumped back from his oppenents, his health down to its last bar. He threw away his axe and shield, the weapons slamming to the floor away from him. Illfang reached behind his back and pulled out a large sword. Shikamaru instantly realized it was a Talwar, not the nodaichi. Illfang's speedincreased tremendously as he darted forward and jumped into the air,bringing his sword down upon Kuradeel and his men. Kuradeel had just enough time to block, his men were sent flying with red slashes down their chest, their health decreased by three-fourths.

"Shit, the information we received was wrong!" Shikamaru began to bark orders "Everyone stay alert! He is much faster now!"

Neji and Sasuke fought with Illfang, the monster matching their speed and precision unlike before. Neji dodged a sword attack, and caught a punch to the face, sending him skidding across the floor. Sasuke activated a sword skill, trying to catch the monster off guard, but his sword was met with Illfang's, parrying his Elucidator. Sasuke was now off guard, and in midair, could do nothing but watch the attack head towards him.

"HAAAAAA!" Sakura activated her sword skill, her dual bladed axe, knocking Illfang's attack away from Saskue.

"Hinata! Let's go!" Naruto grinned at his partner, "Same plan!"

"Right!"

Hinata and Naruto dashed forward, activating their sword skills. Naruto placed his sword on his shoulder, activating his unique skill, Flying Raijin. Hinata thrust her rapier forward, attacking Illfang in a rapid barrage of strikes, depleting his HP to a slither of red. She blocked and parried an attack from Illfang, sending him off balance.

"NARUTO!" Hinata screamed out, "SWITCH!"

Naruto body disappeared and reappeared above Illfang, bringing his sword down upon the monster. The sword slashed through from the tip of his head, down his stomach, and slammed into the ground. The monster broke into glass-like fragments, disappearing into the air. The air was quiet until a larger congratulations banner appeared, signifying they had cleared the floor. Naruto fell onto his butt, sighing in relief. No one died this time. Everyone in the room cheered, some leveling up, others checking through the loot drop they received.

"Nice swordsmanship." Kuradeel walked up to Naruto, "I guess that's why they call you the Yellow Flash."

Naruto scratched behind his head nervously. Hinata offered her hand to help him stand up. He gladly took it and dusted himself off. Kuradeel unsheathed his blade and place it at Naruto's neck, preparing to attack. Hinata immediately unsheathed her blade and stood behind him, ready to slit his throat. Kuradeel's men unsheathed their swords ready to attack Hinata, which cause Neji and Kiba to come to her aid.

"I don't approve of you being the only one to have this technique. What are the prerequisites?" Kurdeel stared Naruto down, ignoring the blade pressed against his neck.

"If I knew, I would have shared the information. But I don't" Naruto face was expressionless, his hand on the hilt of his blade.

Kuradeel withdrew his sword, placing it back in its holder. Hinata backed away, a stern expression on her face. Kuradeel sized Naruto up and down, and turned away walking toward his subordinates.

"We shall meet again Yellow Flash. Next time it may not be on friendly terms" Kuradeel and his men vanished in a blue light, teleporting away to their guild base.

"Geez, what's his deal?" Kiba sheathed his sword and sighed.

"As if we don't have enough problems clearing this game," stated Shikamaru as he scrolled though some screens.

Naruto stared at Sasuke, Sasuke returning the gaze with a slight head nod. Naruto wanted to ask him if he was alright, but couldn't find the will to say it.

"Naruto. Thanks." Sasuke pulled out a teleportation crystal, "Hebi, to the next floor we go." Disappearing into a blue light. Kiba nodded toward the group and Sakura waved, they too followed suit.

"I guess it's time for us to move as well. We must get back to the guild." Neji looked at Hinata. She nodded in acknowledgement and smiled at Naruto.

"Will I see you at the next boss battle?" Hinata could feel a blush creep across her face, she was never this direct with him.

"Believe it." Naruto smirked as the two Hyugas disappeared into a blue light.

Naruto and Shino bumped fist and they both disappeared into a bright blue light.

_4:00 P.M. _

_6__th__ Floor City: Lobria_

_Anbu Guild Building_

Shikamaru returned to the guild, materializing into the common room. Walking to his office, he noticed Ino swiping away at screens. He face looked as if she had seen a ghost.

"Ino what is the matter?" Shikamaru watched her as she continued to scroll through information.

"Shino and Lee have found Choji!" Showing him map of a 1st floor dungeon, "But they haven't moved from this spot since two days ago! I've been trying to send messages, but they aren't replying!"

"Wait, weren't they looking into that dark guild for that missing member of Nekosuna?" Shikamaru studied the data, "What if they are trapped somewhere in the dungeon?"

"But Lee and Shino are high level players, what could stop them on Floor 1?" Ino ran a hand through her hair, trying to make sense of the situation.

Shikamaru ran through all the possibilities in his head. Only to come up with one solution.

"They're weaponless. Levels don't mean anything if they can't protect themselves."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Union Raid

_A/N; Sorry I haven't posted in a while, things got busy for me. Thanks to all the new followers and reviews I have received from people. Some of your suggestions have helped me out with my story telling. Without further ado, here is the next chapter._

Shikamaru sat as his desk, tapping his fingers rhythmically against the wood. He was unsure of what to do now. The next floor has been opened and the dark guild who took the Nekosuna member finally has the last step they needed to search for the legendary weapon. Lee, Shino, and Choji are captured, and weaponless. He could send out some members to save his friends, but without knowing what monster is guarding that dungeon, he would be sending his comrades to death. They would need an entire guild to face Black Venom and rescue the girl. He sighed, scratching his head. Ino lightly knocked on his door, entering the office.

"I spoke with Hyuga, Neji and Hinata are on board to fight against Black Venom. Nekosuna as well. Naruto willingly agreed as well. Sasuke said he did not want to be bothered with something so trivial" Ino leaned against the door and sighed, "I don't know what Billboard Brow sees in him."

"Those reinforcements should be enough. Naruto, Neji, Hinata, and I will go save Shino and the others. We should be able to get them back safely. Ino I would like you to take five squads and meet up with the squads from Nekosuna and Hyuga and rescue the girl." Shino closed the screens he had open and nodded. "I have faith in you."

Ino smiled and tucked some hair behind her ear. She walked over to Shikamaru and lightly kissed his cheek. Ino couldn't contain her giggle as she watched a blush, immediately, appear on Shikamaru's face. Shikamru touched the area that she kissed, giving her a puzzled look. Ino smiled and walked out of the room, leaving the analytical swordsman, to his thoughts.

Ino walked down the steps and into the common room of their guild. Each member immediately stood and saluted her. She returned the gesture. Allowing them to return to their seats, she spoke.

"Who has the nerve to kill another player?"

The question caught the entire guild off guard. An immense amount of chatter began to fill the hall. Some doubting their abilities, some doubting themselves capable of completing such a task.

"A woman has been kidnapped from another guild by the dark guild Black Venom. They are using her to find a rare and powerful sword that may tip the balance of power in this world. We have been tasked to rescue her. With the help of Hyuga and Nekosuna, we will complete this mission. You will have to defend yourself, which means you may have to kill another human player. So, I ask again." Ino cleared her throat and spoke with a serious tone, "Who here is capable of killing another player?"

A group of males stood up, saluting her. A few females began to stand. Ino grinned and nodded.

"Let's move out."

Shikamaru materialized onto the first floor, stepping out of the gate. He noticed Naruto, Hinata, and Neji waiting on him near the steps leading up the gate. Shikamaru smiled at them, happy to see his friends so eager to help. Words weren't needed because they were about to go into a dungeon to face an unknown threat. A simple smile said it all. They walked through the Town of Beginnings, stopping at stalls to stock up on health potions and extra swords for Shino, Lee, and Choji. Outside the town boundary, was an enormous forest that took up about 90 percent of the floor's area. Hinata tracked their player signals to a cave deep within the forest. As they moved through the forest they came to a cave, a dungeon entrance, guarded by four members wearing black jackets, a small black snake with red eyes could be seen on their right hands.

"This must be it, let's go!" Naruto placing a hand on the hilt of his blade, ready to attack.

"Wait!" Shikamaru placed a hand on his shoulder, holding the swordsmen back. "For my plan to work, we must attack at both angles at the same time."

"What plan?" Naruto asked, keeping his eyes on the guards. .

Shikamaru began to draw out his plan in the sand, "Ino and members of Nekosuna and Hyuga are currently getting into position to launch and simultaneous attack on Black Venom. Hyuga will attack their base of operations, while we attack the dungeon, and Ino's team will attack the group searching for the rare sword. These attacks will leave Black Venom crippled and unable to defend against a three-way raid" Shikamaru checked his clock.

"Ready… Go!"

Naruto, Neji, Hinata, and Shikamaru darted out of the bushes, activating their sword skills. The guards, who weren't expecting an attack, barely had time to defend against the assualt. Naruto used his speed to beat his opponent within an inch of his health bar. Neji and Hinata backed their opponents against the wall with an unrelenting barrage of attacks. Shikamaru held his blade against his opponent's neck, the player dropping his sword in defeat. They tied the four of them together and confiscated their weapons. The group entered the dungeon, bat-like monsters began to appear in numbers before them. Naruto and Neji took the front line position, destroying monsters as they raced down the halls of the dungeon. Shikamaru pulled up is message window, scanning through the play by play details of the other fights going on. His plan was moving perfectly. Until they reached the last floor of the dungeon. The last floor was a large hallway, the size and length of a football field, with a small room at the end of it. Neji used his maxed out sight skill and was able to recognize three figures in the room at the end of the hall.

"They are here," Neji said to the group.

"Perfect! Let's go get them!" Naruto smiled and began running toward the room

This was too easy. No guards, except for those at the entrance of the dungeon, barely any monsters in the dungeon. Something was off. Shikamaru couldn't put his finger on it until a large black dragon with gleaming red eyes, fell from the ceiling, landing in front of Naruto. The dragon let out an enormous roar, swiftly moving across the floor, his tail swinging around its body to attack Naruto. Naruto unsheathed his sword, blocking a tail swipe from the dragon, in result sending him skidding across the floor.

"Naruto!" Hinata yelled.

"Holy fucking shit!" Naruto got up, readying himself, Neji and Hinata doing the same.

The dragon had three health bars, and stood on all fours. The dragon was too massive in size to stand up in this room, because of the low ceiling. The low ceiling also meant, attacks from above would be hard to accomplish. Shikamaru cursed under his breath, this would be an issue.

* * *

><p>The clashing of swords could heard throughout the forest of the 10th floor. Ino and team consisting of Nekosuna and Hyuga members were in a full on brawl with the dark guild Black Venom. Ino blocked an attack from one of her opponents, sending them back with a swift swipe of her sword. She had received information that the other group has taken the dark guild's base with no problem. Smiling as one by one, dark guild members fell, Shikamaru's plan was working out flawlessly. Ino and her group of party members, the elite guard of Anbu, rushed further into the fray. They stopped in an open field, a small circular patch of grass within the forest, and she noticed Temari and some of her guild members surrounding a single woman and a small petite girl. Ino noticed the cat ears and tail of the small girl, a trade mark of the Nekosuna guild. But, who was this lone woman.<p>

"We finally caught you! Release my guild mate now!" Temari spat at the woman in anger.

The woman has long red hair, which reached the small of her back. Her eyes were a light green, a cool smile plastered on her face. She wore a black cloak with a hood, and a skin tight black leotard. A purple and white armored vest covered her chest, small rings hung from her breast plate, one for each nipple.

"I still have use of her. So, no, I won't be giving her back to you just yet" the woman smiled, placing her hand on the hilt of her sword. The handle was curved into a '9' at the end of thehilt, a snake' head could be seen baring its fangs.

"You bitch!" Temari charged at the woman, activating her sword skill. The woman stood there, preparing for her attack. Temari swung her blade, aiming to decapitate the woman. The woman, unsheathed her blade so swiftly, Ino did not see her move until it was too late. A red slash could be seen across Temari's body from the left side of her waist up to her right cheek. Temari was in shock, the woman took that advantage to land a solid kick to Temari's abdomen, sending her flying across the grassy floor. Ino cursed under her breath, this woman's skill level was definitely higher than theirs. ¼ of Temari's health bar was gone, after only two attacks. Temari struggled to get up, her fellow Nekosuna members rushing to her aid.

"My name is not bitch. It's Anko" a toothy smile and that calm expression still on her face, "I am the leader of Black Venom!"


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Beaten and Broken

_A/N: Thanks for the reviews! I'm getting more and more followers by the day. Sorry this chapter took me so long to post. I'll try and get the next one up faster. Without further ado, back to the story._

Anko, the leader of Black Venom stood before them. Temari struggled to stand, members of her team helping to her feet. Ino could feel uneasiness in the air. She knew they would not be able to defeat her alone.

They needed Shikamaru and the others. Ino pulled up her message pad and sent Shikamaru a simple message saying 'S.O.S'. All they could really do is hold out until Shikamaru responded to her message. Ino disbanded her party and added Temari to her party. Temari looked at her, accepting the request. Ino's health bar and name appeared on the top left of her HUD.

"If we work together, we can defeat her" Ino drew her sword, a white blade rapier, its hilt wraped in blue ribbons that trailed off the hilt. The blade had yellow flowers decorating the cold steel, giving the weapon a lively aura.

Temari nodded to her guild members as they stepped back. She walked over to Ino and stood next to her, facing Anko. The woman grinned and readied her blade, with a flick of her fingers she threw a needle into PrincessKittyKitty's neck, paralyzing her. The small girl immediately fell to the ground, her limbs unable to control her weight.

"That poison will last about thirty minutes." Anko checked the clock on her heads up display "By then I will have defeated and killed you both."Anko began to sway side to side, her sword dragging against the ground. Pushing off with her right foot, she dashed at the two with blinding speed. Her sword dragging against the ground causing dirt and dust to fly in all directions.

Temari charged forward, clashing sword with Anko. Temari and Anko began to exchange a barrage of attacks, Ino jumped in to attack Anko from behind. Anko blocked an attack from Temari, parrying her blade. Turning around, the dark guild master grabbed the wrist of Ino's sword hand flinging her into Temari, sending them both skidding across the ground.

Ino got up quickly, dashing forward toward Anko, activating a sword skill. Her blade began to glow a bright blue, twisting the hilt in her hand, Ino swung her blade in an upward slash. Anko placed a hand on the blade of her sword for stability, blocking the attack.

A loud metallic sound erupted from the clash as the two blades collided with each other. Temari rushed Anko from the side, lunging towards the woman. Temari thrust her blade forward, activating a sword skill. Anko bent her knees, jumping into the air.

Temari watched as the woman soar over her. Anko brought her blade down upon Ino, simultaneously landing a kick into Temari's back. Temari hit the ground with force, the impact taking her HP bar lower.

Ino cursed and she jumped back, barely dodging Anko's blade. Temari pushed herself off the ground, bringing the heel of her foot into the air, the kick connecting with Anko's cheek.

Anko jumped back, her sword dropping back to the ground alongside of her. That sly grin, began to disappear from her face.

"Nice kick Temari." Ino readied herself, her eyes now trained onto Anko's movements.

"Thanks. She moves so swift and sneaky. Almost like a-

-A snake?" Ino completed, Temari smiled at her comrade.

"You harmed me." Anko placed a hand on her cheek. "I was going to play with you until the thirty minutes were up, but never mind that now. Now I'll just kill you both as quickly as possible!" The look on Anko's face changed drastically. The sly smile was replaced with a more sinister, bloodthirsty one. Her eyes focused on Temari as her target.

Anko dashes toward Temari, swinging her sword in a flurry of attacks. Temari, barely able to defend against the onslaught, watches as her HP bar slowly began to dwindle. Ino charges at Anko, trying to come to Temari's aid, was met with a swift kick to her face, sending her skidding across the ground.

Ino slams into a tree and coughs desperately trying to breathe, the wind knocked out of her. Ino watches the fight between Temari and Anko begin to be one sided. Temari is holding her own, but she was losing, only ¼ of her HP was left.

Temari was sent flying into the tree next to Ino. Gasping for air, she hunches over in pain. Ino watches as Anko walked towards them, her sword dragging against the ground.

"Is that all you have, Guild Master?" Anko mocked.

"Hell no!" Temari stood and glared at the woman, "I'm just getting warmed up!"

"We are about to kick your ass!" Ino stood, leaning against the tree for support.

"Good. I like it when my prey fights back"

* * *

><p>"Okay, what's the plan Shikamaru?" Naruto said, as he jumps out of the way of another tail attack.<p>

The dragon let out a roar, and inflated his body. The dragon then let out a flame attack, the blue flames scorching the ground where Naruto once stood. Neji, Naruto, and Hinata kept the dragon at bay while Shikamaru thought. The dragon's second health bar finally drained empty, the dragon roared at the swordsmen. Eggs fell to the floor, crashing into the stone. The eggs broke open and smaller human like versions of the dragon materialized onto the battlefield.

"Great! As if the dragon wasn't enough!" Shikamaru said as he charged forward, slashing at the newborn dragons.

Hinata took down another newborn dragon as Neji and Naruto fought with the larger dragon. Hinata noticed Naruto fly past her face, slamming into a nearby wall. Neji blocked another attack from the dragon, its attack patterns completely different than before.

Naruto rose from the rubble and checked his HP, that last attack almost killed him. Drinking a potion he charged forward, bringing the sword to his shoulder. His sword began to glow a bright orange, activating his sword skill.

"Flying Raijin!" Naruto's body disappeared, reappearing above the dragon's head. He plunged his sword into the skull of the dragon, dragging it down its back. Before he could complete the attack, a swift tail swipe knocked him into the opposite side of the hall way. Naruto smiling as his unspoken plan worked, landed on his feet near the room Shino, Lee, and Choji were being held. Throwing the three swordsmen the swords they got for them, grins appeared on their faces.

"Let's kill this damn dragon! "Exclaimed Choji as he rushed the beast from behind.

After multiple attacks from the party, the dragon let out a roar as its last health bar depleted, the monster breaking into fragments of data like shattered glass. Small loot/exp screens appeared before the swordsmen, Hinata's avatar glowing, signifying her rise to the next level. The party sighed in exhaustion from the fight, but were happy to have their friends back. Shikamaru and Choji clasped hands in a firm handshake. Hinata hugged Lee and Shino tightly.

"Long time no see Choji" Shikamaru smiled.

"Right back at you" Choji said returning the gesture.

"Unfortunately we don't have time to waste on hearty hellos right now," Shikamaru pulled out teleportation crystals, handing one to Lee, Shino, and Choji, "But Ino needs our help."

All of the swordsmen disappeared in a bright blue light, racing to come to their comrades' aid.

* * *

><p>Ino fell to the ground, her HP bar almost completely gone. Staring at Anko with hateful eyes, Ino struggled to get up. Her body wasn't moving anymore, her weak fingers letting go of her sword. The sword hit the ground with loud 'chink' sound. Ino noticed a small purple box next to her health bar. It was a poison effect.<p>

"I see you have noticed by now, that I won this fight before it ever began." Anko smiled at Ino, licking the blade of her sword. "My weapon is laced with a paralyzing poison that effects you more over time. By the time you two noticed it, it was already too late."

Ino straining herself to move, looked over at Temari, her body lie motionless on the ground. Anko walked over to Temari and lunged a small dagger deep into Temari's thigh. Temari screaming out in pain, her sword dropped to the ground. Temari tried to move but to no avail, could not remove the weapon. Anko took her sword hacking away at Temari's sword until it broke, shattering into glass like fragments. Temari's eyes filled with fear, tears beginning to form.

"Shhhhh, everything will be okay" Anko cooed at Temari "It shall all be over soon"

"And with ten minutes to spare too!" Anko stood over Temari, her blade pointing down toward her heart. "Goodbye."

Ino closed her eyes, not wanting to see the swordswoman die. A scream erupted from her chest, unable to contain her fear any longer. A loud metallic sound filled the air. Ino felt two strong hands lift her from the ground. Ino opened one eye to see Anko locked in a stalemate with Neji, an angry expression on his face. Ino opened the other eye to see who her rescuer could be. Choji smiled and winked at her. Ino, her heart filled with joy, immediately began to cry.

"I advise you to have over the girl" Shikamaru stood in front of Temari, as Hinata and Naruto tended to her wounds. Lee and Shino stood behind Shikamaru with their blades unsheathed, ready to fight.

"Before I rid both worlds of your sorry existence" Shikamaru unsheathed his blade, staring Anko down.

"I see my time is up" Anko landed a kick into Neji's stomach, pushing him back from her. Anko flips into the air, landing next to the small girl.

It felt as if everything had frozen. A blood curdling scream filled the air. Tears began to flow like a waterfall from Temari's eyes, her mouth hanging open in complete shock. Anko's sword pierced the small girl through her chest. The girl watched as her HP, swiftly changed from green, to red, to black. The small warrior burst into glass-like fragments. PrincessKittyKitty was no more. An eerie silence suffocated the forest surrounding them. Anko broke that silence her voice piercing Temari's ears, just like her sword did to her guild member.

"So if I can't have that sword. No one can" Anko took advantage of the distraught players to make her escape. "I'll see you around Nekosuna, thanks for play time!" Shikamaru charged at the woman, activating his sword skill. Anko disappeared into a blue light, his sword gliding through the air where she once stood.

"Damn it"


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Christmas Eve

A/N: Here is the next chapter, hope you enjoy. Sorry for the slow updates, Finals are coming up soon and this is where college gets interesting. I will try my best to do better. Now on with the show!

"So, what do you want for Christmas?"

Shikamaru stared at the blonde with a puzzled look on his face. The guild was decorated in the spirit of the holidays. They reached the 10th floor but after a month of searching, not one person was able to find the boss room. All of the front line guilds decided to collectively to take a break until the New Year. Shikamaru thought about Ino's question. Of course he wanted nothing more than to leave this game.

"Hell if I know Ino," Shikamaru sat in his chair, watching his guild members try to put ornaments on the enormous fir tree they cut down from floor 1.

"Well please figure it out, Christmas is tomorrow you know" Ino smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder before leaving to help the struggling guild members.

A message appeared on Shikamaru's HUD, the loud _ping_ noise waking him from his thoughts. Opening the message, he noticed it was from Choji. Choji created a restaurant of his own, not wanting to be a part of fighting in this world. He invited everyone to a Christmas party he was throwing to celebrate the grand opening of his new restaurant. Shikamaru was happy that his friend was doing so well for himself. He sent a message back replying Ino, himself, and his guild members will be in attendance.

CRASH!

Shikamaru looked up and noticing the fir tree laying on the ground, some of the ornaments breaking into pieces and shattering into data. A heartbroken Ino sat on top of the fallen tree, the glass star in her hand shattering into data as well. Tears began to form in her eyes, the guild members frantically running around trying to calm her down and pick up the tree. Shikamaru could not help but laugh at the scene. They might not be back in the real world, but for now this was home.

"I wonder what Naruto would like for a present?" Hinata walked through the shops of the Town of Beginings. He guard simply smiled at her, watching her carefully as she continued to window shop.

"I just don't know what he likes. He said he was going to Choji-san's party. What should I wear? Something revealing to make him notice me, or something wholesome? Maybe he will like this?" Hinata rambled, picking up a pair of orange and black fingerless gloves. There were two small metal plates on the back of the gloves, with a small red swirl in the middle of the plate. Hinata face heated up, blushing at the thought of giving Naruto a gift.

"I am sure he will love whatever you get him Guild Master" the guard lightly patted her back.

"Thanks..." said Hinata smiling at her guild member. After paying for the gift, the two of them left the store. Hinata notice a player with pink hair siting with another player that had a small wolf cub next to him.

"Kiba! Sakura!" Hinata called over to her friends.

"Hey there Hinata! What brings you to the first floor?" Sakura smiled, hugging her friend tightly.

"Just a little…" Hinata looked down at the wrapped present in her hand "Shopping"

"Yeah for Naruto I bet" Kiba jokingly stated which caused Hinata face to turn a bright red color

"Ha! Bingo, you hit the nail on the head Kiba!" Sakura smiled, holding up gifts of her own. "I'm doing a little shopping myself for Sasuke."

"I hope he likes your present" Hinata smiled, trying to regain her composure.

"I do to," Sakura blushed "Maybe he will kiss me under the mistletoe tonight?"

Hinata nearly fainted at the thought of her and Naruto sharing a kiss. She probably would die, shattering into a million pieces right there on the spot. He face reddened even more earning a sly comment from Kiba she didn't hear, too preoccupied with her daydream. Sakura giggling in the background said something on the lines of "we will see you at the party" or something like that. Hinata could not focus on anything but her daydream.

Sakura lightly hugged Hinata, Kiba ruffling her hair, the both of them walking off toward the teleportation gate. Hinata waved as they disappeared into a bright blue light. Smiling at her guard, she decided it was time they head back to the guild.

Shikamaru walked into a shop on the 9th floor, Tenten's Armory. He grinned as his friend conducted a deal with another customer.

"Hey there Shika! Long time no see" Tenten smiled, thanking the guest for their patronage.

"I know, I am sorry about that Tenten" Shikamaru scratched the back of his head.

"What brings you in here?" Tenten propped herself up on the glass casing, holding her head in her hands.

"Well I came here to buy a sword for a friend. Her sword was destroyed in a bad fight recently so I thought it would be a nice Christmas gift to get her" Shikamaru glanced at the swords around the shop, varying in size and price range.

Tenten smiled, watching Shikamaru as he browsed the shop. Shikamaru stood completely still when his eyes fell upon a single sword in a separate glass case. The blade of the sword was silver and the hilt a golden yellow color. In the center of the sword was a single red dot.

"Good eye Shikamaru, I made that little beauty last week." Tenten activated the screen next to the sword showing its stats and the name of the weapon, Uchiwa.

"How much is it?" Shikamaru pulled up his screen to check his funds.

Placing a hand on her hip and a finger to her lip, Tenten began calculating in her head, "Well, based on the material used and the level of Slash Weapon Forging I needed to create that sword, 150,000 col should be enough."

Shikamaru almost fell over, his jaw dropping at the price.

"Okay, what is the price for a friend?"

"125,000 col"

"A best friend?"

"120,000 col"

"As if we don't have enough troubles clearing this game already…" Shikamaru sighed and paid Tenten.

The shopkeeper smiled evilishly, patting him on the shoulder lightly. She transferred the sword into his inventory, "Thank you for your patronage!" Tenten said with a bubbly voice.

"Let the party begin!" Choji held his drink high in the air, laughing out loud.

The restaurant called Choji's Kitchen was packed with members from all guilds. The waitresses danced through the crowd, passing out drinks and hors d'oeuvres. The walls were lined with a multitude of colored Christmas lights. Mistletoe hung from random spots on the ceiling and the tables draped in red and green cloth. Shikamaru sat at the bar, sipping on his drink when a sandy-blonde player, with cat ears approached him.

"Hello there Shikamaru" Temari smiled, pushing a piece of hair behind her ear. Her outfit consisted of a blue kimono, decorated with flowers, and a small Nekosuna cat symbol on the right side.

"Hey there Temari. How has everything been?" Shikamaru returned the gesture, placing his drink down on the counter.

"It's been quiet without her" her eyes dropped to the floor "But, Nekosuna will bounce back and begin fighting on the front lines again."

"That's what I like to hear" Shikamaru smiled at her.

A loud noise began to erupt from Choji on stage. He was singing karaoke, well if you could call the screeching he was doing singing. Even so everyone cheered him on. Sasuke got up onstage and Sakura nearly fainted from all her fangirl screaming. Hinata walked up and amazed everyone with her voice, earning her more attention from the guys in the restaurant. Sakura and Ino decided to do a duet, the crowd began to go wild at the two girl's performance. Even the quiet Shino decided to sing a punk rock version of Silent Night. Temari and Shikamaru both laughed at their comrade as he paraded across the stage imitating a rockstar.

"N-n-Naruto?"

Naruto turned around in his seat facing the person who just said his name. In his right hand was something that resembled a chicken leg. He swallowed hard and cleared his throat.

"What's up Hinata?"

Hinata held out a small blue box, closing her eyes tightly. He breathing became short and she felt the need to pass out. It took everything for her to muster the courage to say something.

"Merry Christmas Naruto-kun! Will you please accept my gift?"

Naruto took the gift in his hands. He smiled at the small box and then frowned a little.

"Jeez Hinata, I wish you would have told me something. I would have got you a present" Naruto scratched the back of his head nervously.

"No! I mean it's okay," Hinata took another breath "I wanted it to be a surprise"

"May I open it now?" Naruto lift the box up to the light to see if he could recognize the gift.

Hinata only nodded.

Naruto opened the box revealing the gloves she had bought for him. Naruto's eyes immediately began to light up, taking the pair of gloves out of the box. Equipping them to his avatar, he looked down at his hands and smiled.

"Thanks Hinata! They are perfect!" Naruto exclaimed loudly.

Hinata simply smiled, a red blush stained her face. She was so happy Naruto accepted her gift, and even liked it. Hinata looked up to thank the heaven and her heart nearly stopped. There, hanging from the rafter above them was a simple green leafed plant, mistletoe. The heavens weren't finished with her yet.

"Hey is that mistletoe?" Naruto looked up as well, smiling at the plant. Realizing what that meant, a blush appeared on his face.

"ImsorryHinata!Ididntplanforthistohappen!Pleasedontfreakout!" Naruto rambled, waving his hands in front of him.

Hinata took his hand in her own and looked up into Naruto's eyes. With the last small amount of will she had left, she leaned forward closing the gap between them.

Sakura held out a gift toward Sasuke, staring at the floor. She was shaking in fear of being rejected. Rocking back and forth on her heels, Sakura spoke up.

"I got this for you, so Merry Christmas!"

Sasuke took the gift from her hands, opening it. He pulled out of the box a thin ring, decorated with the wings of an angel and a heart-shape gemstone. Sasuke looked up at her with a slightly puzzled look.

"Are you proposing to me?"

Sakura immediately fainted, dropping to the floor. Some players around them helped her to her feet, walking her to a chair. Sasuke pressed the stat button on the ring, a small window appeared next to the ring.

'_A special magical ability that allows the user to send a voice message to a registered friend once a month via the ring'_

Sasuke grinned and placed this item in his inventory. He walked over to the chair where Sakura's limp body lay and sat down next to her. Watching her sleep, he leaned closer and gently kissed her forehead.

"Merry Christmas Sakura"

Shikamaru found himself at in very troublesome situation. Ino and Temari both approached him with their Christmas gifts. Shikamaru backed up against the bar counter, both girls asking him to open their present first. Shikamaru swore he heard Choji, Kiba, and Lee behind him laughing. Shikamaru looked around for a chance to escape the situation. He looked over to Neji, who was too preoccupied with Tenten to aid him. The three stooges behind him were no help. Shikamaru then saw his opportunity.

"It's about time! Hey look everyone!" He pointed in the direction behind the two swordswomen.

Ino and Temari turned around to find Naruto and Hinata standing under a mistletoe, locked together in a very passionate kiss. Everyone began cheering for them, yelling out either 'Congratulations!' or 'It's about damn time!' Ino and Temari turned back around, only to find Shikamaru had not only left the area, he left the floor.

Shikamaru entered his office, sitting at his desk. Placing his head on desk, he sighed and laughed to himself. He was a little ashamed he ran from two girls.

"As if we don't have enough problems clearing the game. First dark guilds, now my love life." Shikamaru sighed and opened his messages. He had one new message. Hoping itwasnt a hate letter from Ino,he opened it hesitantly.

"_We have found the boss room. Here is a map with the safest route. Enjoy your time off, this battle will not be easy. The Knights of Blood Oath will stand with you._

_From, Kuradeel"_


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Sorry it has taken me this long to write this chapter. I wasn't sure how to begin it, or finish it. A Fairy Tail story has been stuck in my head for a while now, I may write that next. But without further ado, on to the next chapter!

A large group of about 30 players stood waiting outside of the 10th floor Boss room. Naruto sat down next to Hinata, watching some of the players fiddling with their equipment. Neji, Shikamaru, Temari, Kuradeel and a couple other smaller guild leaders were off to the side having an intense conversation. Ino, along with the rest of the guild members sat around the area, waiting to enter the room. Sasuke and his team didn't show up this time, Naruto wondered what could have kept them from this fight. As the intensity of the discussion between the leaders grew, Naruto used his hearing skill to listen in on the conversation the guild leaders were having.

"Are you serious right now?"

"Why are we even discussing this?"

"You greedy cheeky bastard!"

"Mind your tongue woman!"

"No, move Neji! This guy needs his ass kicked!"

"Can we just agree and move on so we can get to this next floor!"

"No I do not agree!" Kuradeel slamming his shield into the ground, staring Shikamaru in the eyes.

"We split the earnings just like every time!" Shikamaru stared Kuradeel down "We aren't changing anything just because you think it's unfair!"

"It is unfair! He should not be able to use that technique, especially if no one else can use it!" Kuradeel's eyes were now trained on Naruto. "He stole the last attack bonus from me last time with that cheat of a skill."

"It's not his fault!" Temari glaring at Kuradeel, placed a hand on the hilt of her blade.

"He should not be allowed to attack the boss." Kuradeel picked up his shield.

"Now that's pushing it!" Neji frowned.

"Or he offers up any item that he receives" Kuradeel stood his ground, staring each player in their eyes.

"Not going to happen. That's unfair to him." Shikamaru crossed his arms

"You know I don't mind it" a voice from behind Shikamaru spoke up

The group of guild leaders turned around to see Naruto. He smiled and looked at Kuradeel. Kuradeel's face scrunched up in disgust as if he caught whiff of a bad smell.

"I know my skill gives me certain privileges that other players don't have, so I have no issue with sharing what I receive from the loot drop" Naruto sighed "One of the many reasons why I have not joined a guild or a party."

"Are you sure Naruto?" Temari turned to him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah, as long as we beat the game right? That's the goal here, not virtual coins or powerful items" Naruto smiled and stuck his hand out for Kuradeel to shake it.

Kuradeel walked away towards the door, leaving Naruto with his hand outstretched. Temari muttered some choice words under her breath. Shikamaru patted Naruto on the back and nodded. The rest of the players who were resting rose up, preparing themselves for the fight ahead.

"Our opponent today is unknown." Gasps and mumbled words filled the crowd. Kuradeel waited for the talking to cease before continuing, "Apparently there was not any information on the Boss that guards this level. So we are going in blind. Watch its attack patterns and prepare for anything!"

"Wait you knew this?" Shikamaru exclaimed. "You didn't say that in the message you sent me!"

"This is suicide!" Neji looked back at his guild members "We aren't prepared for this!"

"Either you get prepared or we can sit here in this virtual world and die!" Kuradeel slammed his shield into the ground.

Naruto thought back to New Year's Eve when about 4,000 players went 'offline' for a few hours. From the lack of nutrition they were receiving in the real world, with their real bodies just laying somewhere connected to the NerveGear, players passed out. They later received a report that many were moved to hospitals to stabilize their bodies. Even though they were living here, their real bodies were deteriorating. The longer they took to beat this game, the worse it was going to get.

"He is right, we must push forward." Naruto spoke up, so the whole crowd could hear him. "We have to hurry and beat this game, our bodies in the real world are racing against time. The more time we spend here is less of what we get in the real world!"

Much to Kuradeel's irritation he noticed Naruto's words inspired people, calming their minds before the battle. Kuradeel picked up his shield and turned towards the door. Kuradeel placed his hand on the cool steel door and gave the large door a hard push. The door slowly swung open opening the path into the dark room behind it.

"Watch each other's backs, stay alert, and most of all" Kuradeel unsheathed his blade "Try and not get yourselves killed! Now let's go!"

The large frontline party stormed into the room, the massive door closing behind them. Torches on the wall began to light up one by one, revealing the room's structure to the players. The room was circular, with random heaps of rubble around the room. The granite floors began to glow a light gold color, as the boss materialized before the party. A sandy-brown colored raccoon-like creature appeared, with black markings all over its face, body, and tail. It had a jagged, concave mouth and the fur around its eyes was outlined in black. The monster's eyes were small with yellow irises and pupils that took the shape of a black four-pointed star with four black dots around it. The name 'The One-Tailed Demon: Shukaku' appeared above the beasts' head, four green health bars appearing next to its name. The demon opened its mouth, and enormous roar erupting from the monster.

"Attack!" Kuradeel yelled as he charged at the monster with his sword and shield, ready for battle. "Party one advance!"

Kuradeel and ten other players charged forward, activating their sword skills simultaneously. The remaning players stood their ground, awaiting the Boss' next move. Shukaku rose his tail into the air and pointed it toward the charging players. His tail began to glow yellow, and numerous brown spikes shot toward the players. Kuradeel rose his shield to block the attack, but the other players around him weren't so lucky. The spikes hit their targets, piercing the armor of the players. The players impaled by the spikes, fell on the ground clutching the spike with their hands. Screams filled the air as the bodies shattered into broken glass-like fragments of data.

"A one hit K.O." Hinata gripped her rapier's hit harder. "We just lost seven players with one attack…"

Players began to freak out, pulling out blue crystals from their inventories, trying to teleport out of the room. But nothing happened, no blue light appeared around their bodies. As many times as they tried, no one could seem to teleport out of the boss room. Shukaku let out another menacing roar, startling the players, some even dropping their weapons. Shukaku pointed his tail toward Kuradeel and the remaining players who charged first.

"Whats going on?" Naruto tried to activate his own teleportation crystal.

"It's a crystal nullification zone…" Ino gripped the hilt of her blade harder.

Shikamaru pulled up his screen, "All shield users to the front line! Prepare for the next attack!"

Kuradeel and a few others who were shield users stood their ground, rushed to the front of the group. The players created a line in front of the other players, hoisting their shields higher to block the attack. Shukaku's tail began to glow a bright gold color as it shot spikes toward the players. The shield users braced for the attack, their feet sliding across the ground as the spikes connected with their shields.

Shikamaru began barking orders "Sword team switch!"

Naruto, Hinata, Neji, Ino, and a few other players charged forward slashing away at the monster. Shukaku swung its paw the players. A few shield users blocked the attack, allowing the sword users to continue their assault. Shukaku dodged attack from a few players, roaring out in pain as their swords connected with its body. Shukaku picked up one player, the swordsmen screams as he is bitten in half, shattering into shards of data.

1 health bar depleted.

Shukaku knocked a few players back with a swipe of his paw. Naruto and the others continued to slash away at its health, red marks appearing on the demon's body as sword skills and techniques connected with the demon. A swift tail swipe knocked Kuradeel and some shield users into a nearby pile of rubble. Kuradeel got back up and blocked another tail swipe from Shukaku. Naruto dodged a paw attack, blocking the claws of the beast with his sword. Striking the beast once more, he jumps back landing next to Hinata.

Another health bar depleted.

The shield users blocked another spiked attack from Shukaku, slashing away at its health. Switching with the second team, they parried an attack from Shukaku, leaving the demon open for an attack from another squad. Naruto, Neji, and Ino delivered a barrage of attack upon the beast, knocking Shuakau's health bar lower. The beast roared in rage, jumping back from the players.

"Alright men, we are on the last health bar!" Kuradeel held his shield higher.

"Watch for attack pattern change!" Shikamaru watched as the monster began to glow a bright gold color.

Shikamaru watched as the Shukaku shrunk in size and turned into a player sized demon. The raccoon-like demon stood at 6' feet tall. Its body was only covered in a pair of white pants. The demon smirked and unsheathed a sword on its back. The sword was a long broadsword with a massive blade, spiked out in different places.

"What the hell?" Naruto and Hinata jumped back to join the rest of the party.

"This must be its final stage" Neji gripped the hilt of his blade harder.

"This has never happened before" Kuradeel rose his shield, his guild members followed suit.

"As if we don't have enough problems clearing this game already" Shikamaru ran a hand through his hair, carefully watching Shukaku.

"Watch yourselves my little kittens" Temari stood with her guild mates, their roaring response comforted her.

"Hyuga, do not waiver!" Neji stood in front of his guild members, Hinata and Naruto stood beside him.

Shukaku smirked, raising its sword in the air. The sword began to glow a bright gold, blinding everyone.

_Floor 11_

_Town: Taft_

_Location: Main square_

Naruto woke up in the town square, shaking his head. Opening his eyes, he noticed Hinata sitting next to him. She sat up next to him, rubbing her head tenderly. Hinata could see in his eyes that he was worried about her. After giving him a gentle smile, she and Naruto stood up. Hinata checked her HUD and noticed their location was Floor 11. Everyone in the party had been transported to the next floor.

"Did we win?" Temari stood up, rubbing her head.

"It doesn't seem that way" Neji brushed himself off.

"Yeah, there was no congratulations banner or loot drop" said Ino as she checked her inventory

"No, we just got passed off" Shikamaru looked around their new surroundings. "I don't think we have seen the last of this boss either. A forced teleport is too coincidental" Shikamaru ran a hand through his hair, "As if we didn't have enough problems."

"So these are the Deca-bosses" Kuradeel sheathed his weapon.

"We have to go through this every 10 floors?" Naruto whined

"It seems like it. Man is this troublesome" Shikamaru scratched the back of his head.

"Well at least we made it to the next floor" Ino stated excitedly.

"Yeah, but at what cost?" Kuradeel stared down upon Ino "We lost way too many today."

"As much as I don't want to admit it, but he is right." Neji crossed his arms and sighed. "89 more levels, is it worth the risk? Is it worth losing a life? Is it worth completing this game?"

"We have no other choice. We either succeed… or die trying"

_Floor 5_

_Town: Ryuzen_

_Location: Unknown_

Guards stood on either side of the door, each armed with a lance. They did not acknowledge her presence when she walked up to the door. Anko gave the doorknob a slight turn, opening the door slowly. The room was small, the only thing Anko could make out in the darkness was a small chair. The only light in the room came from the moon outside, shining through the window. She walked deeper into the chamber, the door behind her closing shut.

"So one again Anko, you have failed me"

"Master this was not my fault. We were blindsided by our enem—

"SILENCE! Take a seat"

Anko reluctantly sat down in the chair. A man emerged from the dark side of the room, his black armor glistened in the moonlight. Anko could feel her palms begin to sweat, fear creeping its way into her mind. The man walked toward her, circling the chair as watched her.

"It seems we must take out these certain guilds to serve as an example for the rest of the players. Destroying them will prove our strength."

"Yes M'Lord." Anko stared at her feet, cowering in fear.

"But, first you must be punished for your insolence"

Anko looked up in fear, her eyes growing bigger as two hooded players appeared next to her. The players grabbed her arms, lifting her from the chair. Anko began to scream, kicking and lashing out at the two players. One stuck her in the neck with a paralyzing throwing needle, her body going limp. She could only watch as they dragged her lifeless body from the room.

"Hyuuga, Anbu, and Nekosuna" The man unsheathed his blade. A massive buster sword, with a silver hilt, the blade's tip reached to about 6 feet. The player brought his sword down, slashing through the chair. The two halves of the chair broke into fragments, disappearing into the air.

"I will kill every last one of you." A small grin appeared on his face.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: What Caused an Effect

A/N: Hope you enjoy this next chapter. Please continue to comment and let me know what I can do better.

_Floor: 19_

_Town: Ralburg _

_Time: 5:30 P.M._

Sasuke, Sakura, Kiba, and two new members of the party Hebi materialized through the teleportation gate. The man standing to Kiba's left was named Suigetsu. A lean-built young man of average height, straight white hair, wearing a purple shirt, cut off at the sleeves and white pants. Strapped to his back was a large buster sword, a steel blade with a black hilt. The other in Sakura's opinion, who was standing a little too close to Sasuke, was a woman named Karin. Her outfit consisted of a lavender uniform that exposes her navel, short black shorts, and long black thigh high stockings with black sandals. On her side was a small dagger with a red blade, the same color as her unkempt hair.

Hebi, having just defeated the 18th floor boss, were the first players to appear on floor 19. The captives of Sword Art Online had now been stuck inside the game for eight months. In the last three months Hebi had grown to be one of the strongest small guilds in the game. This newly five-man team were known for defeating dungeons and boss raids by themselves. The town of Ralburg was a small one with very minimum shops. The town square was half of the size of the square on the first floor. The town's buildings were set up around the square. The party stepped of the Teleportation platform, scanning the town with their eyes. Karin grabbed Sasuke by his arm, pulling him closer to her.

"Where to now Sasuke-kun?" she said sweetly, rubbing his arm.

"Let go of him right now" Sakura unsheathed her axe, pointing the blade at Karin. "I keep telling you to stay away from him Karin."

"I like to think Sasuke likes the attention and besides," a sly smile crept onto Karin's face "He is single."

That comment really set Sakura off. The two girls began to argue back and forth about who was better for Sasuke. Suigetsu closed his left ear with his hand in annoyance. Kiba simply snickered, enjoying the cat-fight. Sasuke removed himself from the situation and turned his head to Suigetsu.

"Suigetsu, go search for a comfortable lodge for the night."Sasuke then turned to Kiba, "And Kiba go replenish our supplies. We will be taking down the one of the dungeons in the area to sell the map data."

The two swordsmen left as quickly as they could, urging to get away from the two bickering women. Sasuke heard a light ping in his ear, signaling he had just received a message. Sasuke opened the screen and noticed a small blinking tab with a flashing unopened letter icon. He pressed his finger to the tab, the letter opening. Sasuke noticed it was from Shikamaru.

"_Hey, we just received intel that you and your group made it to the next floor. Job well done. However there is an urgent situation that we need your help with. Dark guilds have teamed up in the recent months and have planned large scale attacks upon the smaller guilds, forcing their captives to join their cause. It's mostly happening in the lower levels of the game. The larger guilds will meet this evening to discuss the problem. Please attend._

_Shikamaru, leader of Anbu._

_p.s.- Naruto would like to see you as well. We all miss you guys._

Sasuke closed the letter and sighed. He hasn't seen his friends in about 3 months, since the holiday party. He decided this was of importance, protecting the lower level members of the game, as well as his group Hebi. If these dark guilds are beginning to attack larger guilds, because of Hebi's fame in the game, they might be target as well. Sasuke turned to Sakura and Karin only to find their argument had escalated to hair pulling. Both girls, with a fistful of the others hair, screaming at each other to let go.

"Sakura. Karin." Sasuke said cooly.

"Yes?" they said in unison, almost immediately stopping their assault of each other.

"When Kiba and Suigetsu return, we head for the Anbu Guild Headquarters tomorrow. We have major business to attend to." Sasuke turned away from the females and began to walk towards a small café.

"Roger!"

As he walked to the door of the café, Sasuke stopped before placing his hand on the handle. He noticed a player lurking in the shadows on the side of another building. Sasuke casually opened the door and walked inside, Sakura and Karin following him. He decided it was not the time to confront their stalker just yet. The café had small round tables with seven stools around them. This café was still operated by NPC's or non-playable characters until other players make it to this floor to obtain shops of their own. After they ordered their food, Sasuke's ordering a plate of curry and rice, Suigetsu and Kiba walk into the café. They both sat down at the table ordering their food as well.

"Have you noticed?" Suigetsu looked at Sasuke.

"Noticed what fish-face?" Karin spoke up, earning a rude look from the swordsman.

"Yeah, that player over there. He's using a concealment skill." Kiba shifted his eyes in the direction of the unknown player.

"Yes I have. He's probably watching us to make sure we don't leave this floor anytime soon." Sasuke watched as his food was brought to the table.

"Shall we take him now?" Suigetsu grabbed the hilt of the very large buster sword that was strapped to his back.

"No, not yet. Let's see what will happen before we act." Sasuke began to eat his food, slowly keeping an eye on the player.

As the night progressed, players began to materialize onto the level. Players began to explore the new town, checking out the shops and vacant lots where they could either start or expand their business. Suigetsu mumbled under his breath about his deep dislike for crowds. Sakura and Karin caught each other staring at Sasuke, rekindling the argument from before. Kiba and his familiar, the wolf pup Akamaru, watched as people filed into the pub. Sasuke noticed the player he was watching disappear from his radar.

"Let's head to the inn for the night. We will head to Anbu HQ tomorrow morning" Sasuke rose from the table, starting toward the door.

"Right" the others said in unison, walking behind their fearless leader.

After a heated argument on who decided to sleep in Sasuke's room, the party agreed on Kiba for Sasuke's safety. Having either Sakura or Karin stay with him was definitely a bad idea. Sasuke laid down on the bed, cycling through his gear, checking the status of his weapons and armor. Kiba allowed Akamaru to play around for a while, watching as the pup trot around the room. Kiba looked over to the ever so solemn Uchiha. Kiba could almost visualize the gears turning in the male's head.

"Kiba?"

"I know what you're thinking about and the answer is yes. We will make it through."

Saskue nodding at his friend and went back to his inventory. No one knew of this side of him but his three best friends- Kiba, Shikamaru, and Naruto. The four of them were tight since elementary days and they all understood each other to the fullest. Kiba knew about the front Sasuke puts on to stay focused in battle and stay cool under pressure. He understood when the Uchiha was alone he worried about everything. This side of him was something he would never let anyone see but his three best friends.

"The higher the floor we ascend to, the worse it seems to be. I'm worried for her Kiba. If something ever happened I wouldn't know what to do."Sasuke ran a hand through his hair, closing the inventory tab.

"I know, trust me I understand that feeling. But in order for us to return to the real world, we need to keep pushing."Kiba snapped his fingers ordering Akamaru to return to his side. The small pup jumped next to the swordsman and curled up into a ball.

"For now let's get some sleep and worry about our every growing problems tomorrow," Kiba smirked at his friend and rolled over. Snoring soon followed about five minutes later.

Sasuke nodded, closing his eyes allowed sleep take over his worn body.

Later that night a group for 70 players all dressed in black hoods emerged from the gate one by one. One of the players walked over to the side of the teleportation gate, pressing an invisible button on the side of the panel. A small screen appears and the player entered a code into the screen. The gate began to change color from blue to a bright red.

"Everything is set. No one should be able to leave this floor using a crystal." The player reported to a woman. "Also the no-PK zone has been deactivated."

That woman was none other than the dark guild leader, Anko. Anko smiled, her plan was moving without a hitch. She would not fail the master this time. Anko grabbed the player by his neck, sending her sword through his stomach. The player gasped in surprised, shattering into fragments. She waited for the server to respond, but nothing happened. The remaining hooded players stared at Anko with a mix of fear and surprise.

"Someone had to be the test dummy" Anko smirked devilishly at the group. "Now get to work."

* * *

><p>Naruto walked into the Hyuga HQ, greeting some of the members he recognized from previous boss fights. Naruto eyes searched the place for a certain member of the guild. When he was unable to find her, he sat down at a nearby table and waited. After about 30 minutes a passing member, a girl with dark brown hair, told him Hinata and Neji left about an hour ago to handle guild business. A disappointed Naruto decided to just come back later, began to get up and leave when he heard a voice speak up from behind him.<p>

"Naruto-kun?

Turning around, the swordsman noticed the person he was searching for. Hinata stood before him with a surprised look on her face. Neji nodded to Naruto, patting him on the shoulder as he walked past.

"Hey there Hinata"

"W-what are you doing here?"

"I came to see you, if that's okay?"

"Y-you came to s-see me?" Hinata felt her face heat up. She swallowed hard, nervous of his answer to her next question. "What for?"

"I know things have been a little crazy right now. And I wanted to see you, well I mean. You know. Like outside of a boss fight. I don't know. I didn't really think of what to say," Naruto rambled on, scratching the back of his head nervously.

Hinata smiled, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. She was excided he came to see her. Her heart felt like it would burst from her chest. She sat down next to him, enjoying the sound of his voice as he rambled on.

"I was wondering Hinata," Naruto let out a long sigh, as if to prepare himself. "Have you thought about what happened at the Christmas party?"

Hinata immediately blushed, remembering the scene from the party. Even though they kissed under the mistletoe, she was still unsure about their relationship. Hinata knew that she loved Naruto, and would sacrifice everything for him. What she was unsure of was his feelings. For all she knew, Naruto thought it was a customary kiss. Hinata studied the reaction on his face, knowing that was not the case.

"Yes I have. But, I did not want to bring it up until Naruto-kun wanted to talk about it." She looked down at the floor, fidgeting with her thumbs.

"I'm sorry I've kept you waiting. I just didn't know what to say about it." Naruto ran a hand through his hair.

"W-well tell me, please" Hinata looked up at the man, her eyes staring deep into his own.

Naruto wrecked his brain, searching for the words to say to her. Just when he found what he was looking for, a very worried Neji appeared at their table. Naruto cursed himself for not being prepared. Next time they have sometime alone, he promised himself he would finish this conversation.

"Neji-san?"

"We have a problem, I need both of you to come with me right now" Neji turned on his heel and quickly walked off.

Naruto and Hinata followed him into a small conference room on the opposite side of the guild building. Upon entering the room they noticed Shikamaru, Temari, and Kuradeel discussing a serious topic.

"Sasuke and his group are under attack on the 19th floor." Shikamaru scrolled through some screens.

"What are we waiting for then?" said Naruto turning to leave the room.

"We can't access the floor. No one has been able to reach that floor ever since last night. The teleportation gate has been cut off. Floor 19 is inaccessible by teleportation crystal unless you first use the gate to reach the floor." Kuradeel closed a screen on his HUD. "Apparently there have been reports of them being able to kill players within the city. The entire floor is in a panic."

"Oh no…" Hinata covered her mouth with her hand, worried for her friends.

"Teleporting through the gate is risky. There are guards who have been killing anyone as soon as they materialize onto the floor." Temari sighed and ran a hand through her hair.

"Wait, I thought killing with in the city was impossible. It goes against MMO parameters. Even the game creator understood that!" Naruto slammed a hand down on the table.

"We know Naruto!" Shikamaru obviously stressed out by the situation.

"Whats your deal Shikamaru! Im just asking a question!" offended Naruto glared back the swordsman.

"Calm down you two. I have a couple people that used to be programmers in the real world working on the problem. We will figure this out together." Temari placed and hand on Shikamaru's shoulder.

"Why can't those people use a crystal to leave the floor? They should be able to do that, right?" Hinata asked, comforting Naruto as well.

"The whole floor has been transformed into a crystal nullification zone," Kuradeel answered "Sasuke and his team have already tried."

"For now, we wait and hope Sasuke's group can handle this situation until we can help." Neji leaned against the wall.

* * *

><p>Floor: 19<p>

Town: Ralburg

Time: 6:00 A.M.

Screams filled the morning air as more dark hooded players emerged from the teleportation gate. Players or NPC's, it did not matter who they attacked but everyone one by one were being cut down. Sasuke blocked an attack from another hooded assailant, cutting him down with one swipe. The player shattered into fragments of data before his eyes, the small blip next to his name changed from green to red.

"This is insane!" Kiba growled from behind him. Sakura, Karin, and Suigetsu followed closely behind, watching their surroundings for more attackers.

"I've already informed Shikmaru and the rest of the front line guilds. Sakura, Karin I need both of you to get the lower level players back to the inn and set up a defense. Suigetsu, Kiba, and I will head to the town square to see if we can help more players." Sasuke stared down the alley toward the square where players battled for their lives.

"But Sasuke!" the two females exclaimed, in fear for their teammates.

"No buts girls. This is not the time. Follow his orders." Kiba barked at them.

Sasuke nodded at his friend. He knew what Sasuke was trying to do. Keep the girls safe from danger. He didn't know how this happened but they were about to find the people responsible for it and make them pay. The three swordsmen charged in the direction of the town square, readying their blades for battle.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Change of Plans

Kiba blocked an attack from his opponent, the clashing of their swords produced sparks. Kiba jumps back, readying his blade to counter another attack. The swordsman charged, this time sending Kiba skidding back across the town square. He used his momentum to flip himself back upon his feet. Gritting his teeth, Kiba glances at his health bar checking how much damage that last attack did. His HP was at half. The group of girl players behind him began to whimper, urging him to get up. Kiba cursed under his breath when two more black cloaked swordsmen showed up. Sasuke and Suigetsu were busy with their own battles to help him out.

"Don't worry ladies!" Kiba heroically says as he turns around to flash a toothy smile. "I got this all under control!"

Kiba charged forward, clashing swords with the first opponent. He dodges an attack from behind by ducking. Spinning on the ball of his right foot, Kiba extends his left leg tripping the two swordsmen up. Both players hit the ground with a loud thud. Kiba blocks an attack from the third player, forcing him back with a strong kick to the stomach. A scream could be heard from one of the players as Akamaru ripped at his throat, depleting the rest of the players HP. Kiba smirked as the player shattered into fragments, nodding to his familiar. 2 versus 1 sounded a lot better than three.

"Hn…"

Sasuke and Suigetsu stood back to back, staring down the group of players that surrounded them. The group already anticipating their victory, snickered and laughed as they closed in on the two. Suigetsu smirked and looked at Sasuke with his peripheral.

"Do I need to hold back?" Suigetsu licked his lips maliciously.

"Do what you want. I'm going after the leader. Create an opening?" Sasuke said coolly as he turned his eyes toward Anko who stood awaiting at the gate.

"Yes sir oh magnificent leader" Suigetsu mocked.

Sasuke turned and darted toward the edge of the circle of players. Two players readied themselves, ready to attack Sasuke. Sasuke stopped right before the edge of the circle, kneeling down. Suigetsu used his back as a stepping stone, jumping forward. Suigetsu kicked the player on his right in the face and clashed swords with the one of his left. Sasuke rolled under Suigetsu and took off in a sprint for Anko. Suigetsu landed on his feet facing the group of players. One player tried to chase after Sasuke, but was met with a swift slash of Suigetsu's blade across his chest.

"No one is going anywhere! I'm your problem now." Suigetsu licked his blade and gave the group an evil smile.

"Now my sword is thirsty for your blood!"

"What's the Status of the floor?" Shikamaru asked Kuradeel.

"Sasuke's team has managed to save most of the people, getting them to a safe house. He, Kiba, and a new member of the team are currently in combat with the group as we speak." Kuradeel frowned.

Hinata pressed her palms together and sent them a quick prayer. Neji sat down and let out a long sigh. Naruto on the other hand could not find it in his mind to calm down. He paced the floor back and forth nervously, hanging on every update they received. He was worried about Sasuke, Sakura, and Kiba. He didn't really care who the new members of the group were, but he didn't want his friends to die.

"Temari, how are your team of programmers doing on getting us access to the floor?" Shikamaru turned, giving his attention to the woman.

"They said the virus the dark guild placed upon the gate is guarded by a firewall, as well as a 64 character code. It won't be easy to crack, but I have faith in my kittens. Give them about 3 more hours, give or take." Temari gave Shikamaru a toothy smile.

Shikamaru nodded and checked the time on his HUD. He quickly sent Sasuke a message and sighed. Hopefully they can last this long. As if we didn't have enough problems clearing the game.

Sasuke approached Anko quickly, pushing off the ground with his right foot he leaped into the air. Sasuke brought his sword down upon the woman, only to be met with her own. Anko growled, surprised that he was able to get so close even with all the other members around. Anko glanced to her right to discover what was keeping her men busy. Suigetsu was giving the dark guild members one helluva beating, laughing as if he was enjoying himself. Kiba and Akamaru were also holding their own.

"Focus on me." Sasuke said bluntly.

"There is only three of you?" Anko asked in astonishment.

"Like I said," Sasuke jumped back readying himself for another attack "Focus on me."

"Picky boy. Fine then, I'll kill you first." Anko smirked.

Sasuke noticed the message and smirked. He knew eventually Suigetsu and Kiba will tire out, he needed to buy time.

"First before you kill me, tell me how you blocked the floor and turned it into a crystal nullification zone?" Sasuke questioned the woman.

"Since you're cute, I'll tell you." Anko smirked and proceeded to tell Sasuke the plan.

"You see there is a Game Administration panel that we are currently in control of. That panel controls every gate of every floor. The gates act like doors to each floor and we simply placed a lock on the door. As long as we are in control of the panel, we control Sword Art Online. See we could unlock all 100 floors right now, but what fun would that be? My master wishes to rule here longer."

"Don't you know every day we spend here is less time we have in the real world? What if we all die before then?" Sasuke rose an eyebrow at the obviously crazed woman.

Anko laughed and grinned at the raven-haired male, "We could lock the rest of you in the game and escape if we wanted to. We control the game now!" Anko readied her sword and charged at Sasuke.

Sasuke and Anko's sword clashed against each other, the steel-on-steel interaction creating sparks. Sasuke activated a sword skill and brought his sword down upon Anko, who dodged and swung her sword at his feet. Sasuke jumped, twisting his body in mid-air, brought his heel down aiming for Anko's head. Anko grabbed Sasuke by the ankle, tossing him across the square. Sasuke tucked his knees to his chest and rotated in the air until he leveled himself off, landing on his feet. Sasuke dashed forward and exploded a barrage of sword skills and hand-to-hand combat against the woman. Anko blocked most of his attacks, red slashes began to appear on her body as Sasuke's barrage continued. Anko balled her right hand into a fist and connected it with Sasuke's jaw, sending him back a few steps. Sasuke smirked, gripping the hilt of his sword tighter.

"Not bad punk." Anko snapped her fingers and two heavily armored swordsmen surrounded him. "But I'm done playing games. Kill the bastard."

Sasuke glared at the two swordsmen, cursing under his breath. One wore gold armor and the other silver, both wielding a two handed dual bladed axe. Sasuke waited for either to make a move, still keeping his eye on the woman.

"Sasuke!"

Kiba and Suigetsu appeared on either side of him. Sasuke looked at both of their HP bars, and frowned. Suigetsu's had about a little less than half left and Kiba's had only about ¼ left. Kiba and Suigetsu smirked at Sasuke, both giving him a toothy grin.

"You're both out of healing crystals aren't you?" Sasuke asked his two teammates.

Laughing they both nodded as Sasuke shook his head. He checked the clock on his HUD, they had about an hour before help would arrive.

"Hold on for about another hour and don't get yourselves killed." Sasuke smirked and took off, resuming the battle with Anko.

"Roger!" Kiba smiled, as Akamaru let out a reassuring bark.

"Whatever you say oh fearless leader" Suigetsu mocked. "We will beat these idiots and join you soon."

"Ha! Ginkaku ya' hear that?" the silver armor player spoke up.

"Yes Kinkaku! These puny insects think they will beat us in a fight!" the gold armor play laughed.

"So you two are the famous Gold and Silver brothers?" Suigetsu said a little too calmly for Kiba's liking.

"We have to hold out for an hour against these two?" Kiba looked at Suigetsu.

"We are so fucked" they both said in unison.


End file.
